In an area surrounded by water, it could be argued that the latest addition to Central Whidbey Fire & Rescue is long overdue.

The fire department upgraded its marine rescue capabilities in a big way, purchasing a sturdy former Coast Guard vessel that is expected to be a force on the water.

“It’s a pretty different boat compared to the other one,” said Capt. Jerry Helm. “We went from a Volkswagen to a Maserati. There’s a big jump in performance.”

The department paid $95,000 for the 2006 Safe Boat, which came with a pair of new 225 horsepower outboard engines.

The 26-foot vessel was being used as a charter fishing boat for tuna based in Oxnard, Calif. Fishing rod holders are still mounted in the rear of the boat.

“That’s one of the things we’ll have to get rid of,” Deputy Chief Charlie Smith said with a smile.

Before the boat can be put into service, other alterations will need to be made, including the installation of radios.

“It needs cosmetic work,” Fire Chief Ed Hartin said.

But training firefighters to safely operate the boat and the rig that will tow it will take the most time before the vessel starts making waves.

And that won’t be soon enough, according to Hartin.

“We had a number of instances where people were in a bad way and we couldn’t go in the water,” Hartin said.

That’s because Central Whidbey Fire & Rescue’s current 17-foot Apex rigid hull inflatable boat, with a 90 horsepower engine, couldn’t safely operate in rougher sea conditions often found in Admiralty Inlet during inclement weather and at times even in Saratoga Passage.

The agency wanted to upgrade to a larger vessel built to handle the choppy waters and changing currents.

“We go to more marine rescues than structure fires,” Helm said.

A new vessel was considered at a comparable price to the Safe Boat, however, it lacked electronics, speed and other features and wasn’t designed for search and rescue. The additional upgrades would have come at an added expense.

In the end, the former Coast Guard boat was deemed a better value and a more sound vessel built to outlast and outperform the new boat. It also is equipped and designed for search and rescue, including work lights for night-time operations.

A comparable new boat would cost about $325,000, Helm said. A used one would normally run anywhere from $150,000-$200,000.

The Honda engines alone would cost between $40,000 to $50,000 new, Helm said.

“It’s a great deal,” he said.

Helm and two other firefighters drove to Oxnard in late July to pick up the boat and tow it to its new home at Station 53 in Coupeville.

The boat gives Central Whidbey Fire & Rescue new capabilities in providing marine rescues, medical aid and marine assists, though it does require higher tides to launch than the previous boat. A minimum of 2 feet, 6 inches of water is needed to launch the Safe Boat.

Central Whidbey Fire & Rescue has automatic aid agreements with Camano Island Fire and Rescue, South Whidbey Fire and Rescue and North Whidbey Fire and Rescue and a mutual aid agreement with East Jefferson Fire and Rescue.

All four of those agencies have boats that perform marine rescues as does the Island County sheriff.

Boats with East Jefferson, South Whidbey and Camano Island have firefighting capabilities whereas Central Whidbey’s new boat does not.

But the vessel can do a lot, which the department is excited to discover, firefighter Bob Moore said.

“With the second engine it is a force to be reckoned  with special training required by all of us,” Moore said.