The North Whidbey Fire and Rescue commissioners voted 2-1 last Tuesday to proceed toward the purchase of a new marine rescue boat.

The proposed new boat is actually used. It’s three years old, has a 26-foot hull, twin 200 horsepower Evinrude engines, and two built-in dive doors.

With a price tag of $60,000 the boat would provide “more bang for the buck,” said Fire Chief Marv Koorn.

Koorn said the boat is located at a Bellingham dealership which has used it as a demo boat. He estimated its cost new at $130,000. “It’s less than half price,” he said of the fire district’s cost.

The department’s current boats include a 2002 Extreme 21-foot inflatable and a 1984 Achilles 16-foot inflatable.

Commissioner Ron Muzzall was not convinced the department needs a new boat. His reluctance was based partly on the engine size being more than the volunteers are presently trained to handle. They may be “getting in over their heads,” Muzzall said.

He went on to question the purchase’s impact on the fire district budget. “It’s going to require more funding” for upkeep and mooring, Muzzall said.

The department hopes to enter into an agreement with the state to dock the boat at Deception Pass.

Commissioner T.J. Lamont said he believes the current rescue boat capability is “sufficient,” but he could also see “the value of this opportunity.”

Commissioner Larry Morse sided with Lamont in the split vote.

Chief Koorn was quick to point out that the department has responded to more water rescues than structure fires in the past year.

Muzzall accepted this fact but found that to be the exact reason why “the public should put more pressure on the Sheriff’s Department to improve their water rescue abilities.” Sheriff Mike Hawley cut his department’s rescue boat in a budget-paring move.

The problem of who would respond to distress calls if North Whidbey could not is a very real issue. The department has been involved in marine rescue since the 1980s after the tragic deaths of two local youths in the waters near Deception Pass. Occasionally, North Whidbey Marine Rescue has partnered with Coast Guard, Navy and Sheriff’s Office rescue teams to save lives.

Recently, the department’s marine rescue team was unable to assist a boater stranded on a sand bar because the boat being used was in an “unsafe” status for such a rescue attempt.

The new boat would have been able to safely assist the stranded boater. This time it was not a critical emergency and the boater eventually received assistance.

With the approval of the new boat comes a commitment to update equipment and extensively train rescue officers. “Improved GPS (global positioning system) equipment will be needed” as well as “crew training increased to higher levels,” Koorn said.

All agreed that in the coming months the marine rescue abilities of North Whidbey Fire and Rescue will be enhanced with the new boat, and by summer Deception Pass may no longer be out of reach or too dangerous for North Whidbey marine rescuers.