The city of Vancouver, British Columbia, has operated fireboats since 1928, when the city introduced the J.H. Carlisle.[1]
At the time, the shores of False Creek were lined with industrial facilities, mainly sawmills. The owners of these businesses committed to pay for the construction of a fireboat provided it would be stationed in False Creek, as the boat's presence reduced the cost of their fire insurance. The new fireboat was named in honour of Vancouver's longest serving fire chief, John Howe Carlisle.
In 1951, the city launched its second fireboat, Fireboat No. 2. At the time it was considered one of the most powerful in the world.
The J.H. Carlisle was retired in 1971, while Fireboat No. 2 worked until 1987, at which time it was sold to the city of San Francisco. Renamed the Guardian, it was retired in 2022.
Beginning in 1992, the city of Vancouver received five new fireboats. Designed by Robert Allan Ltd. and built by Celtic Shipyards, the new boats not only served Vancouver but operated throughout the Lower Mainland as part of a new consortium between the cities of Vancouver, Port Moody, Burnaby, and the city and district of North Vancouver.
By 2015, four of the 1992-built boats were still in service, but had exceeded their planned 20-year operational life. The vessels had such low pumping capacity that authorities would dispatch two boats to each fire.[2] In 2016 it was announced that the city would receive two new fireboats built by MetalCraft Marine of Kingston, Ontario. The boats would replace three of the remaining 1992-built boats, while one would be kept as a reserve.
While the first of the new boats entered service in September 2016, the second boat caught fire during transport, delaying its delivery by several months.[3] The fire on the second boat resulted in it being deemed a total loss, with a new boat being built to replace it. The replacement boat entered service roughly a year later.