Cold Spring deploys rescue boat
The Cold Spring Fire Co. rescue boat has returned to service on the Hudson River for a fifth consecutive boating season.
A designated crew will man the boat, a 21-foot Steiger Craft Chesapeake bought five years ago from the Newburgh fire department. Most of the company’s other firefighters are also trained to operate it, said Chief Jeff Phillips Jr.
The alarms Cold Spring receives for river emergencies automatically generate mutual aid responses from at least two other local agencies with boats, said Phillips.
“We have a great professional relationship with all surrounding departments on the Hudson,” he said.
The Garrison, Cornwall and Fort Montgomery fire companies, along with the West Point and Newburgh fire departments and the Orange County and Dutchess County sheriffs also possess boats serving the Highlands section of the Hudson River.
Putnam County eliminated funding for its Sheriff’s Department’s boats on the Hudson River and Lake Mahopac in 2020.
