The Fire Department of the Amsterdam-Amstelland region and Damen Shipyards Group have signed on the 3rd of September an agreement for the construction of their new fire-fighting vessel Jan van der Heyde IV. The signing of the contract is the official start of the vessel’s construction. It is expected that the Jan van der Heyde IV will make its debut in Amsterdam in the last quarter of 2016.
The fireboat is equipped to fight multiple fire-types from the water, such as on-board fires or on-shore fires which are more easily accessible from the water than via street access. The new ship can also serve as a floating pump unit; this way it can quickly and efficiently provide large quantities of water to teams working on land.
The new vessel is part of the Amsterdam Fire Brigade’s rich history of fire-fighting boats. Already in 1875 the first floating steam injection Jan van der Heyde was put into service – named after Mr Jan van der Heyde, founder of the current fire-fighting method, organisation and technology.
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