Members get an introduction to Raft 4

On Tuesday, May 19, Robbie Bailey and Amber Lawrence of Cather Marine, Inc. in Coltons Point, MD, visited the firehouse to provide operational familiarization training on the new (not yet in service) Raft 4. Robbie gave members a thorough overview of the raft’s standard operations and capabilities, then led orientation rides on the St. Mary’s River.

Raft 4 is a Swift Water Rescue 16’ (SWR16) from Fluid Marine in Franklinton, NC, that will mostly be used for shallow-water rescue operations. It has an aluminum hull and five-chamber inflatable military-grade ORCA Hypalon neoprene tubes, can carry up to eight people, and is powered by a Yamaha 40-hp three-cylinder four-stroke outboard engine supplied by Cather Marine, Inc. The raft and engine weigh 435 lbs and has a total carrying capacity of 2,200 lbs.

We thank Robbie and Amber for sharing their time and expertise.