The assurance that the region’s first water-borne fire-fighting vessel will arrive in the coming year came at a meeting in Phuket headed by Trakul Tortham, Director of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Office Region 18 office.
“We expect the budget of more than B30 million to be approved next month. After that, we will start to order equipment and some parts for the ship from aboard. The fire ship will be operational and based at Rassada Pier by the end of 2016,” Mr Trakul told The Phuket News.
Although the fire boat will be based in Phuket, it will also be able to respond to emergency calls along the Andaman Coast, from Ranong to Trang, he added.
“Many specific details about the boat will be decided on at our next meeting, but it will be 38-feet long and will be based in Phuket,” Mr Trakul said.
The move to acquire a fire boat in Phuket follows a devastating ferry fire in April this year in which a 12-year-old Israeli tourist girl was the sole fatality. (See story here.)