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Anacortes accepts gifts to keep rescue boat and add FLIR to new fireboat
Summary
The City Council accepted an outboard motor donation (North Harbor Diesel, >$19,000) to keep an aging rescue boat in service and unanimously approved a $25,000 HF Sinclair gift to add a FLIR thermal camera to a new fireboat purchased with a $700,000 port security grant.
Anacortes City Council on Feb. 9 accepted two private donations intended to keep the city’s marine rescue capability operational and to restore a forward‑looking infrared (FLIR) camera to a new fireboat.
Chief Beyer told the council Marine 29, the city’s current rescue boat, is about 30 years old and had required frequent repairs; North Harbor Diesel donated a replacement outboard and covered parts and labor, a contribution the chief said totaled “over $19,000.” He also described a separate HF Sinclair community‑giving award of $25,000 to restore FLIR capability to a new fireboat that the city purchased with a 2024 port security grant of $700,000 but for which inflation raised costs above the grant amount.
The donations arrived through different routes: the outboard was a direct, in‑kind donation from North Harbor Diesel and had been installed and placed back in service; HF Sinclair’s $25,000 donation was presented for formal acceptance by council under the city’s donations code. Mayor Ryan Walters asked for a motion; Councilmember Pantini moved to accept the HF Sinclair gift and it passed unanimously.
Why it matters: FLIR helps crews see in darkness, fog and smoke and is broadly used in maritime search and rescue. Council members and staff framed the HF Sinclair gift as a way to keep the city’s planned vessel within the technical capabilities intended under the original grant scope.
Details and next steps: Council accepted the outboard donation as recognition of community support for the Anacortes Fire Department and voted to accept the HF Sinclair $25,000 donation during the Feb. 9 meeting. HF Sinclair representatives Andrea Petrick, AJ Tupper and Steve Lang attended the meeting and were introduced to council.
Quote: “FLIR technology is critical for emergency operations that allows crews to see in the darkness and through fog or smoky conditions and help with navigation and search operations,” Chief Beyer said during his presentation.
The council did not attach conditions to the HF Sinclair donation beyond the standard acceptance vote; staff will proceed with integrating the FLIR camera into the new vessel’s specification and installation.
