Video: Chief Seattle replaces old Alki fireboat

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SEATTLE - The Seattle Fire Department is working to improve fire protection on fresh water.

It's exchanging a very old fire boat for a newer one at Fisherman's Terminal, but not all firefighters see the change as good.

For the past several years, the 82-year-old Alki fireboat has been stationed at Fisherman's Terminal. Last week, the fire department switched that boat with the 25-year-old Chief Seattle.

That boat starts up and maneuvers much faster, but some firefighters fear a staffing change could impact response times.

When flames grab hold, firefighters must act fast.

"They double in size every minute, so for firefighters, time is crucial," said Kenny Stuart, Firefighter's Union president.

The Chief Seattle starts up faster and operating it only requires one engineer instead of two. It all sounds positive, but many firefighters aren't so happy.

"There will be a reduction in service. There will be an increase in response time," said Stuart.

The Alki had a full time engineer stationed at the boat. When a fire alarm hit, the engineer could start the required safety checks while firefighters arrived by land.

The Chief Seattle will not have a full time engineer to begin the start up process immediately. Seattle's fire chief says that's because crews can get the new boat going faster and he'll still make sure it's always response-ready.

"We will continue to have our on duty crews go down every day to check the boat to make sure it's ready to go," said Chief Gregory Dean, Seattle Fire Department.

Still, when fire strikes, not keeping an engineer at the boat will make a difference.

"I think you'd be adding a few more minutes onto the response while they check it as they get it ready to go and get out and start moving," said Dean.