| It's one of those sights you don't expect to see in the midst of a Minnesota winter, someone launching a boat on the surface of a frozen lake.
But that's exactly what members of the St. Paul Fire Department's 15th Ladder Company were doing at Lake Phalen on Wednesday. They were training on a new rescue airboat that thrives in 'all' seasons. "We have the flexibility with this unit to go out on open water, broken ice, solid ice, and we have a much more stable platform to operate from," said St. Paul Fire Captain Dave Ross.
At first blush, the 23 foot Husky airboat looks like a conventional runabout, but the hull is anything 'but' ordinary. The bottom of the boat is made of Kevlar, the same material used in making bullet proof vests, so it is flexible, and nearly indestructible. It has a heated cabin for crew and victim comfort, a powerful 350 cubic inch engine, and a steering wheel instead of the stick controls found on the department's 'old' rescue boat. "With the other one, we couldn't approach the victims as easy," explains pilot Mike Newbauer. "With this one, we should be able to approach them, have the brake to rely on for stopping."
Newbauer and various crew members spent the morning speeding across Lake Phalen, spinning the boat, making quick stops and starts, and pushing the new craft through its paces. They want to be ready, when it's for real. "You can't learn in a book, you have to get out and play with it," says Captain Ross, "and that's what we're doing here today."
The price tag on four season utility and bullet-proof durability is not cheap. The Husky airboat, made in Canada, comes at a cost nearing $100,000.
http://www.kare11.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=146319
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