Associated press
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) - During a tour of the Portland waterfront, U.S. Sen. Susan Collins called for more federal aid to improve security in the nation’s seaports and said she is seeking $4 million to replace Portland’s aging fireboat.
“There are real challenges with port security for the city of Portland. I am now even more convinced of the need for federal assistance,” Collins, R-Maine, said Monday.
Collins said the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and the vulnerability of seaports to future threats makes the city’s capacity to respond to a fire or explosion a clear priority.
“It’s obvious that Portland needs a new fireboat,” Collins said after touring the city’s 42-year-old boat at the Maine State Pier. The vessel was designed to last about 20 years and, compared to modern fireboats, is slow and ill-equipped.
Portland’s fire department has been seeking funds for years to replace the old fireboat and improve its ability to protect the state’s largest port and the waterfronts of Portland, South Portland and the Casco Bay islands.
Fire Chief Fred Lamontagne said the old red-and-black workhorse lacks the speed, strength and pumping capacity of modern vessels. A new boat also would have capacity to respond to oil or chemical spills, Lamontagne said.
In addition to seeking federal Emergency Management Agency funding for a new fireboat, Collins said she has sponsored a bill that would provide $4 billion in grants to state and local governments for first responders such as police and fire departments. The bill would make $20 million available to Maine, she said.
Portland has applied for $1 million under an existing port security program and expects to receive the money in June, said Jeff Monroe, the city’s transportation director.
The money could pay for surveillance equipment at city terminals, while other needs, such as X-ray equipment to scan sealed cargo containers, will require much larger investments, Monroe said.