The Fire Service were unable to get to the beach to tackle the burning dive boat yesterday. A boat with a water cannon could easily have got there. As San Pedro's life is so sea-based, should this deficiency be remedied? And what would it cost?

Think not As boat fires are not to common here .
And to spend money when money is needed for new gear and equipment does not make good fire fighting business sense .A good thought for sure ..
In this case the juice is not worth the squeeze JMHO.

Wouldn't a small generator with water pump and hose on any boat work? I have no idea, just asking....

Water pumps don't necessarily need generators. You can get water pumps that are mechanical and can shoot water so the answer is YES.

All those places that built to close to their lot lines or absorbed the public easements etc should be taking note of this problem. It might be nice to have an extra 3 ft - 15 ft of space to build on - contrary to the building codes - but then the fire truck can't gain access to assist in fighting fires.....

That sounds like a far more economical solution than San Pedro purchasing a dedicated fire fighting boat.

We have a self contained gasoline powered water pump (actually called a trash pump) which has very strong pressure.

A friend of mine has one for his house in Placencia as it's on the other side a canal and the fire department wouldn't be able to get over there. They were able to use the pump to put out a brush fire last year.

I would think it would be smart for any home owner north of the cut to have one on their property just in case.

A fire boat is a waste of money compared to the cost of throwing a pump on any boat and heading to the fire.

What is the cost for such a pump SimonB?

i bought a 2" gas powered pump when i built my villa and i think it was 550bz

Excellent home-firefighting systems can be seen online at
<www.homefirefightingsystems.com>

They work - you can use water from the sea, a well, a pool or cistern --- the trick is to keep it in good working condition and buy plenty of hose.

A fire boat would be a great asset for San Pedro. I met with the Mayor about this once, as she asked my advice on the San Pedro FD and how to improve things a few years ago.
Where are most of the homes in San Pedro? Very close to the water. A jet boat could get into very shallow waters. It could carry a thousand+ feet of fire hose, which could be used to stretch to most buildings. It's an unlimited water supply. It doesn't have to cross the bridge and drive through traffic, meaning it could get up north or down south quickly. It could carry medical equipment and transport a patient. It could respond to water and land emergencies.
http://www.metalcraftmarine.com/html/fireboat.html
Fire boats come in all sizes. If someone donated a boat, it could be outfitted rather inexpensively with a pump and equipment.

The one problem in San Pedro is the fire flow capacity of the local FD. There is a front line pumper and a mini pumper. Together they don't put out over 2,000gpm of water. A fireboat that could pump an additional 1,500gpm would be a great tool.

If there is ever a downtown fire on a windy day...

RICH IN THE PERFECT WORLD THAT WOULD BE WONDERFUL
BUT HERE THEY CAN NOT BUY TURN OUT GEAR ,
AND IF YOU HAD NOT GOT THEM SOME FROM YOUR FIRE HOUSE
THEY WOULD HAVE VERY LITTLE .
HELL I HAD TO BUY THEM A MICRO WAVE .
WHAT FIRE HOUSE HAS NO COOKING EQUPT.LOL.
THE FIRE PROTECTION HERE IS A AFTER THOUGHT
SAD TO SAY THE GUYS WORK HARD WITH NOT TO MUCH SURPORT.
THE ISLAND IS GROWING WITH VERY LITTLE THOUGHT FOR FIRE DEPT PRE PLANNING.HIGH RISE FOUR STORY OMG .NO LADDER TO REACH THEM .THIS LIST GOES ON AND ON .
AND ALMOST NO PROPER INSPECTION !!! IT WILL COME BACK TO BITE THEM IN THE BUTT ONE DAY ..GOD FORBID
I KNOW IT WAS ONCE A SLEEPY FISHING TOWN AND IT IS WHAT IT IS .BUT I WOULD LOVE TO HELP
AND SEE THEM GO FORWARD AND SEE IT GET BETTER..ALL SHOULD GET INVOLED AND HELP.

For a community on the water, where much of the island is only a few blocks wide, one that is divided by a bridge in such a state of disrepair that large trucks can no longer drive over it and that as a whole, has marginal roads at best, Rich is correct in the a fire boat is arguably much more of an asset than a fire truck.

And how's the water pressure in town today??? They have it back on yet???

I wasn't thinking of a "dedicated fire boat" such as we see in the first world, but a boat adapted to the purpose. As Reaper says, given the boat the modifications wouldn't cost that much. A jet boat would be nice, but a small boat with outboard could get close in shore anywhere. Perhaps this would be a better way of spending money currently going on Elsa's Folly. Looking at how many boats Ramon's operate and their central location, perhaps they could modify one of their small boats as a public service to San Pedro. Some good publicity for a change?

The island is pretty good at evacuating everyone in a hurricane event.

When it comes to the day to day emergencies, it's a pretty bleak picture in San Pedro.

The FD does what they can, with what little they are given. Considering the amount of fires they respond to, they do a pretty good job. San Pedro has a high number of fires for its size.

Like most projects on the island, the business community usually takes the first steps towards accomplishing a goal. At some point I would hope the local leaders would look into a fire/emergency boat. It makes a LOT of sense. It could respond to every emergency on the island. It could be manned by volunteers and kept at a secure dock in town, and looked after by a local business that operates a fleet of boats such as Searious, Seaduced or others such as a dive shop.
Once the boat was purchased, donations could outfit it with all of the vital equipment. Firefighting equipment and first aid equipment is available on the island.
Donations and a nominal fee for use could keep it operating with fuel, maintenance and insurance.
In Alberta Canada there is a rescue helicopter program called STARS. It is funded with donations. They keep two birds equiped, manned and flying with fundraisers.
The people on the island and the frequent visitors are very good at fundraising and donating time, money and effort.
As the island grows, I think this is going to be an important tool for the safety of the residents and visitors alike. The town has no ambulance and a fire truck that might fall through the bridge responding to a fire.
I think the juice would be worth the squeeze if it saves some lives and property a few times per year.

What about the police boat? What happened to that?

Exactly.
No blame, excellent intentions, a lesson learned.

...or for that matter, the Police pick up truck? Haven't seen that up here for a year or more.

That said, a fire boat is still a good idea (on paper.)

Maybe this is a good question for the next Mayor or to pose to the Mayoral candidates: How can San Pedro expect to a) continue to receive donations of goods from the private sector and b) continue to provide services to the public sector if every significant contribution made to the town is, after a few months utterly neglected and let to gone to S--T!

Sadly, the lesson that seems to be learned is to not to donate/contribute anything to efforts like this...???

I think the lesson is, as many of us know, if you can take care of something yourself you should do it and not depend on public services. (ie, most have back up water, electric, and some have their own security) For this reason, it might be a good idea if every neighborhood had a couple privately owned and privately maintained water pumps. We know there is no shortage of boats.

Should San Pedro have a fire boat? HMMMM Should they have a good road in back, should they do something about San Mateo, GEE, This is what its all about. If it looks like a horse, smells like a horse, eats like a horse, it's most likely a horse. If the powers at be had only the best intentions for the population, these issues would be addressed. Otherwise self intrest projects will always prevail. JMO