Boaters on Lake Cumberland may see a new public safety tool deployed over the Memorial Day weekend.
A 32-foot Boston Whaler boat known as “Marine One” will provide the Somerset-Pulaski County Special Response Team with an emergency response unit to protect visitors to Lake Cumberland. The vessel will help with fire protection, search and rescue, and hazardous material recovery.
Marine One will be available for all fire, EMS, and rescue runs within the service region. The boat was funded with support from the Somerset-Pulaski Economic Development Authority, or SPEDA. While funding a public safety project may seem like a nontraditional project for an economic development organization, SPEDA President Chris Girdler said the purchase fits nicely within their community-focused mission.
“We said economic development is anything you do for your community’s citizens that will help them economically, politically, and socially,” Girdler said. “There’s many facets of that, but one of those things is public safety.”
Girdler said the region has seen boating accidents in previous years that could’ve been assisted by an emergency response boat. He said he hopes the new tool will help to prevent future tragedies.
“Lake Cumberland is one of the most popular lake destinations in the United States, and we must ensure that we’re doing everything in our power to make Somerset and Pulaski County the safest they can be for our residents and visitors,” Girdler said.
Special Response Team Chief Doug Baker said the boat will specifically help with fire mitigation efforts in the region.
“After responding to a fire at one of our local marinas years ago, we saw the need for a fireboat to be moored locally,” Baker said.
Baker said his agency plans to secure funding to equip another boat for emergency response service. He said that boat will be placed at Lee’s Ford Marina in Nancy.
