(News)

It's an area that city Fire Chief Kevin Lust calls "lock to lock and up the Yough" --- the area where McKeesport police and firefighters respond to river emergencies.

Starting next year, they'll be able to respond more quickly with a more reliable and better-equipped boat.

City council has awarded a nearly $147,000 contract to Harbor Guard Boats of Corona, Calif., for a 24-foot, jet-drive fiberglass boat that will include built-in firefighting capability.

The boat, called a "Firehawk," will be delivered in about eight months, Lust says. Funding is coming from a U.S. Department of Justice grant.

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"This is a purpose-built boat, equipped for fire service, not just fishing," Lust says. The fire department has had two river rescue boats, but both have been converted pleasure crafts and weren't reliable enough or durable enough for heavy use.

The 300-horsepower jet-drive engines on the "Firehawk" don't need propellers, Lust says, which will enable the boat to navigate the shallow waters of the Youghiogheny. The drivetrain also doubles as a water pump for firefighting.

Under an agreement with the U.S. Coast Guard, city fire and police respond to accidents on the Monongahela River throughout the "McKeesport pool" between the locks and dams at Elizabeth and Braddock, says Dennis Pittman, city administrator.

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All city firefighters are now trained in river rescue techniques, Lust says, and the city will soon restart its dive team under the leadership of Deputy Chief Chuck Margliotti.

Police and emergency medical technicians from McKeesport Ambulance Rescue Service also will participate in rescues and dives. The Clairton and Greensburg volunteer fire departments also maintain dive teams.

Besides boating accidents, the city's river rescue squad is also called into action when someone threatens to jump from one of the local bridges, when a railroad accident has the potential to cause a chemical spill, or when utility lines break.

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And there are less obvious uses, Lust says. For instance, when crews begin the reconstruction of the W.D. Mansfield Memorial Bridge next year, the city's river rescue boat will be required to stand by in case a worker falls into the water. (The city is reimbursed for such services, he says.)

Both of the city's previous rescue boats were donated. But city officials decided that trying to convert another fishing or pleasure boat wasn't practical, and they searched unsuccessfully for a used rescue boat.

The good news? While Harbor Guard warrants its rescue boats for 10 years, Lust says this boat could easily last 15 to 20 years.

When completed, the boat will be stationed at the McKees Point Marina.