Welcome to FundFireboat26, the Marine Emergency Team of North Point- Edgemere VFD Fireboat Replacement Campaign. We are dedicated to ensuring the safety and security of our community's waterways by replacing our aging fireboat with a state-of-the-art vessel. Our team is committed to providing swift response and effective firefighting capabilities on the water, protecting both lives and property. Your support will enable us to continue our vital mission and enhance our ability to serve the community. Join us in safeguarding our water-based emergency response by contributing to the Fireboat Replacement Campaign today.

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Since the early 1980s, the North Point -Edgemere VFD has been providing maritime incident response to Baltimore County and surrounding areas of the Upper Chesapeake Bay.  Our primary jurisdiction encompasses over 84 square miles of open water and 135 miles of shoreline, not including our mutual aid assistance to Maryland counties such as Anne Arundel, Baltimore City, Harford, Kent, and Queen Anne's.

 

Today North Point Edgemere has one of two Marine Emergency Teams for Baltimore County.  Dubbed Marine Emergency Team 26, we provide open water fire, EMS, and search and rescue along with a rescue swimmer program, ice rescue, and flood response.  Our units often assist other agencies, such as Baltimore County Police, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, the Maryland Department of Environment, and the U.S. Coast Guard.  Marine Emergency Team 26 (the Team) is a 100% volunteer and dedicated team.  Fundraising efforts throughout our community and business partners similar to yours support our team.  

 

Marine Emergency Team 26 currently operates two open-water rescue vessels, 1 inflatable, 1 flood response boat, and one ice rescue device.  According to the Port Wide Risk Management Plan, “The ideal vessel would be a Metal Craft Marine Firestorm 36 or equivalent”.  The Marine Emergency Team currently operates a 2008 26-foot and 2016 23.5-foot vessels.  Both of these vessels are well under the industry-recommended expectation of a first responder vessel.  With the continual increase in marine traffic and the weather changes, these vessels are not meeting the expectations or requirements of providing the most efficient, timely, or safe response to the incidents we are responding to. The Marine Emergency Team expects to provide the best service to our community while ensuring the safety of our responders.  Our team understands the importance of being available when the call is received and the understanding that we may be the only option to ensure that someone goes home safe after enjoying the beauty of the Chesapeake Bay.  

 

The time is now to make sure that our Team can continue to provide and enhance our service to our community.  When disaster strikes we need to be 100% confident that we can mitigate the incident safely and effectively.  Unfortunately, funding is always the topic of discussion.  The North Point- Edgemere VFD does not only provide maritime response, we are a full-service fire rescue and EMS department, our Department must maintain and sustain two fire engines, a heavy rescue, an emergency medical response vehicle, a special services unit, and a brush truck in addition to the maritime response equipment.  This year so far we have one of our fire engines, a 2007, that is currently being refurbished to meet today's standards, this project is expected to total $150,000.  In December of 2023, it was determined that our special services unit, which responds to medical emergencies, marine incidents, and other various incidents, was no longer in compliance with the National Fire Protection Association guidelines for front-line emergency response, the 2002 Ford Excursion, was replaced with a 2023 Chevrolet Pick Up, this vehicle after being upfitted, will cost $100,000.  These are all costs that are incurred by our department, with funding from our community.  

 

Unfortunately, Baltimore County does not provide nearly enough funding assistance to the marine emergency team.  While they may assist with the reimbursement of some of the equipment, fuel, and personal protection equipment, they do not directly support any capital project or large maintenance project. The Marine Emergency Team has identified the risk being taken utilizing the current vessels may not be providing the safest, reliable, or effective response.  The Team has deemed it necessary to begin the process of replacing at least one of our two current vessels.  The capital campaign will require the fundraising of at least 850- 1.2 million dollars.  The Team is currently working on identifying the manufacturer for the project and expects to procure at minimum a 32-foot all hazards response vessel, capable of providing a safe and effective response to our area of responsibility even on the worst days.  

 

Since the events at the Key Bridge, the replacement of our vessel has gained traction, not only internally but from our community and business stakeholders and partners.  The capital campaign has started with the goal of identifying, procuring, and receiving a state-of-the-art vessel before the end of 2026.  However, we can not do this without the continuing support of our partners like you.  

 

While our focus is to meet our above goal and to steadfast the capital campaign, we understand that some may have financial burdens or other restrictions.  There are other ways to support our Marine Emergency Team or our Department outside the contributions to our capital campaign.  We would love to discuss these options with you as needed. 

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