Nita Greer joins Board of Directors of The Fireboat Fire Fighter Museum

“We are pleased to welcome Nita Greer to the Board of Directors,” says Charles Ritchie, President and Founder of the Fireboat  Fire Fighter  Museum. “Her proven expertise will be instrumental as we continue to expand our outreach and share  Fire Fighter’s  incredible story.”

“It is an honor to serve on the  Fire Fighter  Board of Directors,” says Greer. “ Fire Fighter  is a true American hero and a tangible example of the unwavering commitment and sacrifice of firefighters and fire protection professionals everywhere. I look forward to the opportunity to use my experience to help grow awareness of this iconic vessel, ensuring her preservation for the next generation.”

For over seven decades,  Fire Fighter,  known as “America’s Fireboat,” protected the United States during some of the most harrowing incidents in American history. During World War II,  Fire Fighter  stood ready as ammunition-laden boats left for Europe from New York Harbor, providing courageous service on famous rescue missions including the fire and capsizing of the  SS Normandie  and the massive munitions ship  El Estero  fire.

Following the attack on 9/11, the fireboat was tasked with the greatest challenge of her career – pumping water from the Harbor after the Twin Towers collapsed and all water hydrants were crushed.  Fire Fighter  and other FDNY Marine Units were the sole source of water for firefighting efforts at Ground Zero. Throughout this longest ever emergency call , her vintage water cannons worked tirelessly pumping 24/7  for two solid weeks.

In 2009, toward the end of her active career,  Fire Fighter  participated in the rescue of US Airways Flight 1549 passengers after its emergency landing in the Hudson River.

Fire Fighter  was designed by celebrated naval architect William Francis Gibbs in 1938 and gained rapid acclaim as a modern engineering marvel. Capable of pumping an astonishing 20,000 gallons of water per minute to nine topside fire monitors, she was powered by one of the first diesel-electric power plants ever installed in a fireboat. Her design was so cutting-edge and performance so impressive, that during her entire 72-year active career,  Fire Fighter  remained in virtually unchanged operational condition. She has outlasted all of her fireboat contemporaries and even the majority of the FDNY fireboats half her age.

Fire Fighter  was decommissioned in 2010 and today is designated as a National Historic Landmark listed on the National Register of Historic Places. She is currently docked at the Mystic Seaport Museum in Mystic, CT, and is available for tours, school trips and corporate events as a fully operational vessel, memorial and teaching museum. To preserve the fireboat’s incredible legacy, the Fireboat  Fire Fighter Museum is a 501c3 non-profit, volunteer organization which relies on financial contributions from corporate sponsors, as well as the general public.

For more information click to contact the fireboat Fire Fighter Museum.

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