Water rescue starts here

Island responders need an island rescue boat.

Water rescues are the department's most frequent call type. On busy days, the island swells to more than 3,000 people—many swimming, kayaking, paddleboarding and fishing around an island without a purpose-built local rescue boat.

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LC28-9.5-FB

28′ aluminum landing craft fire and rescue boat with a 64″ hydraulic bow door, twin 200 HP outboards and a 1,500 GPM fire pump.

Help us Float the Boat

Built around the mission

The landing-craft bow creates direct access at the waterline. Swimmer grab rails and an integrated diver ladder support recovery, while self-bailing decks and three bilge pumps are designed for work on the water.

More people on and around the water means more opportunities for emergencies. The proposed vessel gives island responders the right platform for the calls they handle most.

Its onboard pump and deck monitor add 1,500 GPM firefighting capability, and the walk-around pilothouse gives the crew a protected operating space.

The department currently leases a 24′ coastal fishing boat. Its high sides make pulling a person aboard difficult—and dangerous in rough water—according to the department president in WBAY's August 2026 report.

Help Us Float the Boat campaign flyer in honor of David Thalman, showing the proposed 28-foot Lake Assault rescue boat

Why now

Record water calls.Inadequate equipment.

Washington Island sits across Death's Door, surrounded by waters known for dangerous conditions and a deep shipwreck history. The department has responded to a record number of water emergencies in 2026 using a leased 24′ fishing boat.

On August 1, two 20-year-olds left in a kayak and did not return. Bad weather and inadequate equipment contributed to a two-day recovery. David Thalman's family then asked Washington Island Fire Rescue Inc to partner on the memorial search and rescue boat campaign.

Current campaign

$250,000 raised toward $550,000

Washington Island Fire Rescue Inc began the boat campaign in 2022 after years of recognized need. Current campaign materials report $300,000 remains to fully fund the vessel.

Read the report ↗Memorial campaign ↗

Foundation and charity outreach

Washington Island Fire Rescue Inc and the David Thalman campaign are working with charitable and grant foundations and welcome additional partners to help close the gap.

Discuss a partnership

Official model gallery

The LC28-9.5-FB in action.

Lake Assault's official model page confirms the planned 28′ × 9.5′ landing-craft platform, hydraulic bow door, twin 200 HP outboards, and 1,500 GPM fire pump.

Representative Lake Assault LC28 fire and rescue boat underway, showing its broad hydraulic landing-craft bow — Representative LC28 configuration showing waterline access at the bow.

Representative Lake Assault LC28 fire boat operating its high-volume deck monitor — Representative LC28 configuration demonstrating the onboard firefighting system.

Official Lake Assault model imagery. Completed boats shown use configurations for other departments; Washington Island colors and final selected options may differ.

View manufacturer model page ↗

Lake Assault LC28-9.5-FB

Rescue capability at a glance

A shallow-draft landing craft configured for water rescue, shoreline access and high-volume firefighting.

Hull: 28′ × 9′6″; Marine-grade aluminum, modified-V hull
Person + cargo capacity: 3,500 lb; Published combined capacity
Fire pump: 1,500 GPM; Rated at 150 PSI
Propulsion: Twin 200 HP; Four-stroke outboards
Shallow-water draft: ≤18″; Motors up; 24″ with motors down

Full specifications

Open each section to review the published vessel details.

Hull, capacity & dimensionsThe vessel’s published hull geometry, capacity and weights.

Hull length: 28′
Beam: 9′6″
Draft: 18″ or less with motors up; 24″ with motors down
Person + cargo capacity: 3,500 lb
Approximate boat weight: 9,100 lb
Approximate trailer weight: 2,400 lb
Approximate combined weight: 11,500 lb
Hull form: Modified-V with 16-degree deadrise
Construction: Marine-grade aluminum
Fuel capacity: 150 gallons

Rescue access & deck safetyPurpose-built access for shore approaches, diver recovery and work on deck.

Bow door: 64″ hydraulic door opening to 90 degrees, with manual bypass
Bow door features: Integrated diver ladder and flat ATV tread
Water access: Swimmer grab rails
Decks: Self-bailing
Bilge pumps: Three 2,000 GPH pumps

Propulsion & firefightingIndependent propulsion and high-volume onboard water delivery equipment.

Outboards: Twin four-stroke 200 HP outboards
Pump engine: 8-cylinder marinized GM gasoline engine
Pump rating: 1,500 GPM at 150 PSI
Water intake: Through-hull 6″ sea chest
Deck monitor: 1,500 GPM
Pump protection: Winterization and freshwater flush

Pilothouse, navigation & lightingProtected operating space, integrated navigation electronics and scene visibility.

Pilothouse: Walk-around 60″ pilothouse
Interior clearance: 76″
Navigation display: Garmin 12″ touchscreen GPS, sonar, SideVu, DownVu and chartplotter
Emergency lighting: Red emergency lightbar
Work lighting: Scene and walkway lighting

Electrical & transportOnboard power systems and a purpose-matched road trailer.

Electrical systems: 12VDC and 120VAC
Batteries: Four
Shore power: 30A
Trailer: Tandem axle aluminum trailer with electric brakes

Regional response context

A local boat closes the response gap.

Coast Guard support remains essential, but year-round assets are not based on Washington Island. Before regional help can arrive, it must be dispatched, launched, and travel from the mainland. In a cold-water emergency, that means the first critical minutes pass before outside help is even on scene. A locally based rescue boat lets island responders begin the mission during that unavoidable gap.

More than half

of the department's calls in recent years involved water rescue, according to WBAY's August 2026 reporting.

About 45 minutes

for outside marine assistance even in good weather, as reported by the department president.

Start here

Local responders can launch from the island instead of waiting to begin while distant resources are still en route.

The response gap is exactly why this boat is essential.

It puts a purpose-built water-rescue platform where the call begins, giving island responders the ability to start search, recovery, patient access, and marine firefighting immediately. It complements the Coast Guard—it does not replace it—and lets the local crew work while regional resources are still being dispatched and traveling.

Door County MABAS

Mutual aid works both ways.

Washington Island responders also provide mutual aid to departments on the Door County peninsula. A published 2025 county snapshot records seven mutual-aid responses given by Washington Island. When requested and available, the proposed boat can extend that regional partnership onto the water.

Read the Door County mutual-aid report ↗

Swipe map horizontally to explore

Straight-line travel math—not agency response estimates, navigation routes, or arrival-time guarantees.

Washington IslandLocal response pointLocal launch avoids mainland travel timeSeasonal Coast Guard availability varies
Station Sturgeon BayApproximately 35 nautical milesTravel math: about 70 minutes at 30 knotsStraight-line calculation after launch; not a response promise
Green BayApproximately 69 nautical milesTravel math: about 2 hours 18 minutes at 30 knotsStraight-line calculation after launch; not a response promise
Air Station Traverse CityApproximately 67 nautical milesAirborne travel math: about 24 minutes at 170 knotsStraight-line calculation after launch; not a response promise

Published-speed calculations: Coast Guard RB-M cruise speed of 30 knots and MH-60T cruise speed of 170 knots. Dispatch, crew readiness, launch, routing, weather, and sea conditions add time. Coordinates used for plotting: Washington Island 45.376991, −86.896362; Station Sturgeon Bay approximately 44.899, −87.367; Green Bay approximately 44.5367, −88.0042; Air Station Traverse City 44.74833, −85.58083.

Published-speed travel math

Washington Island seasonal presence: Local only when staffed; Reported as weekend-only during the limited season; availability varies.
Rescue helicopter · Traverse City: About 24 minutes airborne; Approximately 67 straight-line nautical miles divided by the MH-60T's published 170-knot cruise speed.
Rescue boat · Sturgeon Bay: About 70 minutes underway; Approximately 35 straight-line nautical miles divided by the RB-M's published 30-knot cruise speed.
Marine distance · Green Bay: About 2 hours 18 minutes underway; Approximately 69 straight-line nautical miles divided by the RB-M's published 30-knot cruise speed.

Seasonal presence is limited.

Local users report weekend-only seasonal Coast Guard presence. The Coast Guard publishes that Station (Small) Washington Island operates May–September under Station Sturgeon Bay. Staffing and availability vary.

Travel math is not total response time.

These figures show distance divided by published cruise speed after launch. They exclude dispatch, crew readiness, launch, actual routing, sea state, weather, mission tasking, and asset availability. They are not Coast Guard arrival estimates or guarantees.

Published sources

Vessel facts, travel-speed inputs, and regional context are drawn from the manufacturer, United States Coast Guard, and attributed local reporting.