Short Summary

My name is Charlie Ritchie and I am the Director of the Fireboat Fire Fighter Museum, a non-profit organization currently preserving the retired FDNY Fireboat Fire Fighter as a museum ship. I have spent my life working with high school and college students, trades people and retired veterans on projects like this and as a result I have developed a passion for creating programs that: teach experiential skills for a lifetime, serve the sick, disabled or under-served; offer place-based educational and recreational programs (i.e After School youth), cultural events and workshops to the general public. What better place to do this than on a truly historic fireboat? The Fire Fighter is a ship that not only offers adventure, inspiration and excitement for its passengers, but is an engineering marvel that captures and embodies the American spirit of hard work, dedication and bravery. In the end shouldn't every person be able to enjoy this magnificent piece of history and get the opportunity for a free ride on a historic fireboat?

We are launching our Drive to the Shipyard campaign here for these important reasons: 
1). If we cannot ensure that the Fire Fighter's hull is in sound condition and take steps to actively maintain it, then we can never realize any of our group's goals and obligations to preserve this historic vessel. 

2). Shipyard maintenance, inspections and a full-hull painting of the Fire Fighter will first and foremost stop a decade of decay to the boat's hull and superstructure. .  

3). Seeing the Fire Fighter to and through a shipyard period will serve as a clear signal to not only her former FDNY crew, but her current volunteer crew that the ship is being preserved and maintained for future generations. 

This campaign will allow a grass-roots group of electricians, mariners, welders and educators to get ahead of the rust and deterioration which has taken place on the vessel since her last major yard period in 2003. We are fortunate to have received the Fire Fighter in a fully operational condition, with her original powerplant and pumping machinery in immaculate condition, however her topsides and hull did not receive the same amount of funding and care from the FDNY during her final years on duty and as a result time and salt water have taken their toll. Please help us now to insure that Fire Fighter's exterior gets the much-deserved and needed restoration work that this campaign seeks to provide. Your contribution will help guarantee that Fire Fighter will continue to serve as an icon of her time, a living memorial to the bravery of her crews and firefighters and a source of pride for all who see her for generations to come!  

What We Need & What You Get

• Estimates for our shipyard work and expenses (fuel, materials and labor) are roughly $100,000. 
• We have lots of ways to contribute at different levels; if you cannot make a monetary contribution we are always looking for volunteers to do a variety of tasks aboard the Fighter. 
• If we do not reach our goal of $100,000 , we will deposit all of the funds in a escrow account to be utilized only for the specific purpose of preserving and restoring the hull and superstructure of the vessel.

The Impact

Your contribution is vital to preserving this truly unique and historic vessel - A ship which fought well over 50 major fires throughout her career, including those on the famed ocean liner SS Normandie in 1942, the SS Esso Brussels and SS Sea Witch collision in 1973 and spent over a week supplying the majority of firefighting water used at Ground Zero in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.The Fire Fighter is undoubtedly the most revered and well-respected fireboat to have ever served with the FDNY and as a result holds a very special place in the hearts and minds of not only her former crewmen and the NY Harbor community, but with the people whose lives she impacted in her 72-year career. A registered National Historic Landmark and listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1989, the Fire Fighter has been bestowed with more National, City and State awards for gallantry and heroism than any other fireboat in history. She is truly the "Worlds Greatest Fireboat". 

During this past Summer, we were visited by countless people who shared stories of how they remembered the Fire Fighter from her duty at the World Trade Center,had family who served aboard her or knew the ship from her exploits of years past. For these people and their families, the Fire Fighter offers a strong and tangible connection to the past which will be lost forever if the ship cannot be preserved. For those who do not have a personal connection to the ship or her actions, the Fire Fighter herself stands as memorial to the fires she fought, lives she saved and disasters she averted for all who come aboard. If the effort to preserve the Fire Fighter should fail, this connection to the past will be forever broken. 

Historic ships like the Fire Fighter are rarely offered a second chance life as museum ships since they are often worth more in scrap value on the open market than as non-profit museum ventures. Your support in the preservation of the Fighter is essential to her survival. It is our hope you will contribute to our campaign and help save the Fire Fighter for future generations! 

If you are interested in helping but cannot make a financial donation, here's how you can help:

• Use Indiegogo share tools to get the word out!
• Volunteer as one of our crew
• Follow us on Facebook
• Share our website with anyone who would be interested in helping our cause: www.fireboatfirefighter.com/

And that’s all there is to it!