Built in Owen Sound, Ontario by Russel Brothers Limited with a modified Tugboat hull.[2]William Lyon Mackenzie operates 12 months a year, providing emergency services within Toronto Harbour and the adjacent waters of Lake Ontario. The boat is mainly docked at 339 Queen's Quay West next to Fire Station #334. It is the main fireboat for Toronto Fire Services as well as an icebreaker for the City of Toronto. William Lyon Mackenzie is one of a few fireboats to ply the Great Lakes, Edward M. Cotter is operated by Buffalo Fire Department and operates in Lake Erie. William Lyon Mackenzie does duty during the Canadian International Air Show, using its spray to make a very visible visual point of reference at the centre of the display area.
In 2004, the vessel completed a CA$1+ million refurbishment that will extend the in-service life of the vessel by approximately 30 years. The main propulsion diesels engines were replaced and the aerial platform was refurbished.[3]
In 2015, the TFS purchased the William Thorton, a mid-shore patrol built in 1982 for the Canadian Coast Guard. The Thornton will be staffed by the crew of the Mackenzie as a backup/additional boat. The Thornton replaced the Sora which the TFS had bought in 2006. The Thornton is named after William Thornton, the first known Toronto firefighter to die fighting a fire. Thornton died in 1848.[4]
William Lyon Mackenzie was called upon to give the newly commissioned tugboat Iron Guppy a ceremonial shower when she joined PortsToronto's fleet, on July 23, 2016.[5]
In popular culture
William Lyon Mackenzie has been featured in the TV series Mighty Machines, filmed in action by their film crew during an exercise.
Notes
↑ Brydon, Arthur (October 2, 1961). "$'150,000 Toronto Tug Launched at Erieau Honors THC Veteran". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved January 2, 2012. Still in the works for the harbour is a fire boat to be paid for by the city. It is in the process of being built. The new craft is 65 feet long with an 18-foot beam and is equipped with radar, echo sounder and radio. Daytime accommodation is provided for the crew which will work in two shifts.
A fireboat or fire-float is a specialized watercraft with pumps and nozzles designed for fighting shoreline and shipboard fires. The first fireboats, dating to the late 18th century, were tugboats, retrofitted with firefighting equipment. Older designs derived from tugboats and modern fireboats more closely resembling seafaring ships can both be found in service today. Some departments would give their multi-purpose craft the title of "fireboat" also.
Toronto Fire Services (TFS), commonly called Toronto Fire, provides fire protection, technical rescue services, hazardous materials response, and first responder emergency medical assistance in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Toronto Fire Services is currently the largest municipal fire department in Canada.
A salvage tug, also known historically as a wrecking tug, is a specialized type of tugboat that is used to rescue ships that are in distress or in danger of sinking, or to salvage ships that have already sunk or run aground.
Russel Brothers Limited was a Canadian steel boat builder, diesel engine manufacturer and steel fabricator. The company operated in Fort Frances, Ontario from 1907 to 1937 and then in Owen Sound, Ontario from 1937 to 1994. The old site was later used by Fort Frances Steel & Welding and Busch’s Auto Supply before being demolished and now parking lot for LaVerendrye General Hospital along Front Street and Armit Avenue
Edward M. Cotter is a fireboat in use by the Buffalo Fire Department at Buffalo, New York, United States. Originally named William S. Grattan, it was built in 1900 by the Crescent Shipyard of Elizabeth Port, New Jersey. Due to age, it was rebuilt in 1953 and renamed Firefighter upon its return to service. The following year it was renamed Edward M. Cotter. its namesake, Edward Cotter, was a Buffalo firefighter and leader of the local firefighters union who had recently died.
CCGS Sora was a 12.5m Small Multi Task Utility Craft that has seen service with the Canadian Coast Guard and Toronto Fire Services. It was deployed for medium range task and perform under moderate to high speed in moderate weather conditions and in sheltered waters in station mode. In 2005, it was transferred to Toronto and used as part of the Fire Services fleet. It was finally retired in 2015.
The Ville-class tug are a class of harbour tugboats employed by the Royal Canadian Navy.
The Glen-class tug is a class of naval tugboat operated by the Royal Canadian Navy. Constructed in Canada, the class entered service between 1975 and 1977. The five vessels that comprise the class are split between the two major naval bases of the Royal Canadian Navy. The Royal Canadian Navy operated a fleet of tugboats during the Second World War which were also named the Glen class. The vessels of the current Glen class are each named after one of the vessels of the earlier class.
CFAV Firebrand is a Fire-class fireboat in the Royal Canadian Navy designed by Robert Allan Ltd. Firebrand is based in CFB Esquimalt, on Vancouver Island. Her sister ship CFAV Firebird was based in CFB Halifax and decommissioned in 2014.
CFAV Firebird was a Fire-class fireboat in the Royal Canadian Navy designed by Robert Allan Ltd. Firebird was based in CFB Halifax, in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Her sister ship CFAV Firebrand is based in CFB Esquimalt.
The Fire-class fireboats/yard tractor tugs were two fireboats operated by the Royal Canadian Navy. The two vessels are CFAV Firebrand and CFAV Firebird.
The William Rest was a tugboat built for the Toronto Harbour Commission in 1961 for $150,000 CAD. She was built in Erieau, Ontario by the Erieau Shipbuilding and Drydock Limited. She displaced 61 gross tons. She was named after the commission's recently deceased director of planning. Rest had worked for the Commission for 46 years.
The Charles A. Reed was the City of Toronto's first official fireboat. She was commissioned in 1923. Previously the privately owned T.J. Clark had provided firefighting capability.
At least six Fireboats in Toronto have helped protect the city's waterfront and maritime commerce.
The John Kendall was a steam-powered fireboat launched in 1929 by the Toledo Shipbuilding Company and operated by the Detroit Fire Department from 1930 to 1976. During her service as a fireboat she continued to be propelled by steam engines, requiring a crew of ten, five of whom were required to stoke her boiler. She was converted to a tugboat, and her steam engines were finally replaced by diesel engines. She served an additional 20 years as a tug, out of Alpena, Michigan. She was scrapped in 1994.
William Thornton (1826–1848) was a Canadian firefighter. He was the first firefighter in Toronto to die in the line of duty. He was mortally wounded by a falling wall on November 22, 1848, suffering a severely fractured skull and other injuries. He died of his injuries two days later.
The Iron Guppy is a tugboat, built in 2016, and owned and operated by Ports Toronto. She replaced the William Rest, a tugboat that served in Ports Toronto, and its predecessor agencies, since 1961. The Iron Guppy has very similar operational characteristics as the William Rest, however, with modern electronics.
The James J. Versluis is a tugboat operated by the Chicago Water Department. She is 90 feet (27 m) long, and built in 1957.
CCGS Cape Hurd is a 21.4-metre (70 ft) mid-shore patrol vessel formerly serving with the Canadian Coast Guard and last stationed in Sarnia, Ontario. The vessel is classed for inland waters with no ice-class. It now serves as a fireboat in Toronto.
Although it is a busy port, there is sparse record of fireboats in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
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Toronto, Ontario 
