Boats Working to Help Save Lives
Published on Aug 24, 2026
When Boat Access Matters: How the Muskegon Fire Department Uses a Boston Whaler to Help Save Lives
On Lake Michigan and West Michigan’s inland waterways, trained firefighters take emergency response to the water—using specialized boats, advanced training, and teamwork to protect people and property.
Gull Lake Marine is fortunate to have a volunteer firefighter on our team. Blake Maki, a Service Advisor at Gull Lake Marine's Grand Rapids location, recently returned to work excited to share what he had learned during specialized boat rescue training. There was a detail that caught everyone’s attention: his training took place on a "Whaler", especially fun because Gull Lake Marine sells the Boston Whaler customer brand.
Blake shared what he learned with our team, including Barry Broekhuizen, Group General Manager of Gull Lake Marine, who listened closely. When Blake finished, Barry had a simple question: "Would your trainer be willing to talk with us about what firefighters do on the water? I found your topic intriguing, and I think our Gull Lake Marine family would, too."
That conversation led us to Keith McMillan, Battalion Chief with the Muskegon Fire Department, and an inside look at the training, equipment, teamwork, and water knowledge needed to respond safely when someone is in trouble.
The conversation below is about much more than a boat. It is about people trained to help save lives.
On Lake Michigan, Muskegon Lake, and the connected waterways of West Michigan, emergencies can happen quickly. A recreational boater can become stranded. Someone can fall overboard. A person can go missing. A boat can catch fire. A shoreline property can be threatened.
When that happens, firefighters need more than courage. They need water skills, navigation knowledge, rescue training, the right equipment, and a vessel they can trust.
Here is Keith McMillan’s interview.
How do we use our Boston Whaler? 
Our Boston Whaler is an important part of how we protect our community on the water.
The Muskegon Fire Department operates on Lake Michigan, Muskegon Lake, and several connected waterways. These areas are busy with recreational boaters, anglers, commercial vessels, and passenger traffic. Our crews respond to many different types of emergencies, including water rescues, boaters in distress, missing-person searches, vessel fires, and other water-related incidents.
The boat also supports our dive team. It gets divers where they need to go quickly and gives them a stable platform to work from during search, rescue, and recovery operations. Every rescue is different. That is why our firefighters train for many different situations and must be prepared to work safely in changing water and weather conditions.
Why a Boston Whaler?
Our department purchased a 2003 Boston Whaler 24' Justice Patrol center console boat through grant funding. It greatly improved our ability to respond to emergencies on the water. Before the Boston Whaler, we responded to water emergencies with a 12-foot inflatable boat. That boat had limitations, especially when conditions on Lake Michigan became rough. reference 1
The 24' Justice gave us something we needed: a larger, more stable, and capable platform for emergency response. The Boston Whaler 24' Justice is part of the Brunswick Commercial and Government product line. Its size and design allow our crews to work more effectively when conditions are difficult and every second counts.
On the Great Lakes, the water can change quickly. Wind, waves, temperature, visibility, and boat traffic can all affect a rescue. Having a vessel built to handle those conditions helps our firefighters focus on what matters most: getting to people who need help and doing it as safely as possible.
What training and preparation is needed?
A boat does not make someone a water-rescue professional. Training does. Operating a boat safely on-the-water requires specialized knowledge and practice. Our personnel train in boat handling, navigation, water rescue techniques, dive operations, and marine incident response.
That training is especially important because water emergencies are not like emergencies on land. A firefighter must understand the boat, the water, weather conditions, navigation, rescue techniques, and the dangers that can affect both the person being rescued and the rescuers. We train regularly because emergencies do not happen on a convenient schedule. When a call comes in, our crews need to be ready to respond.
This is also an important lesson for everyone who spends time on the water: knowing how to swim, understanding basic water safety, wearing a properly fitted life jacket, and knowing how to safely operate a boat and follow Michigan's boating laws can all make a real difference when something goes wrong.
Good boating skills help keep you, your passengers, other boaters, and our first responders safe. Firefighters and first responders are trained to help. Always call 911 from a passenger cell phone or use a VHF marine radio on Channel 16 to request immediate rescue. Speak clearly and say "MAY-DAY" three times, state your boat's name/registration, give your exact location (latitude/longitude or landmarks), describe the emergency (e.g., sinking, fire, man overboard), and state the number of people on board. This is the international distress, safety, and hailing frequency monitored constantly by the U.S. Coast Guard and nearby vessels. reference
How often does the fire department respond?
Our boat is used throughout the year, with activity increasing during the summer months when boating traffic is at its highest. We respond to dozens of water-related incidents annually and conduct training exercises to maintain readiness. Training is critical to our response.
A successful rescue may look simple from the shore, but a great deal can happen behind the scenes. Firefighters must communicate, navigate, assess the conditions, approach the emergency safely, and determine the best way to help. The goal is always the same: bring people home safely.
What is the impact of having the right vessel?
Having the right boat has made a significant difference for our department. Our Justice allows us to reach people faster, work more safely, and respond to emergencies that would have been much more difficult with our previous vessel. Its size also allows our firefighters to operate in a variety of waterways, marinas, docks, and access areas that may not be practical for a larger vessel.
It also allows us to carry the equipment and personnel needed for more complex rescues and water emergencies. It is one of those resources you hope you never need. But in West Michigan, when someone is in the water, a boat is on fire, or a family is waiting for help, the right vessel can help make a life-saving difference.
Fire Departments on the water—is it more common than you think?
Many people think of firefighters as the people who arrive at a house fire in a big red truck. But in waterfront communities, firefighters may also respond by boat. In Muskegon, our department works alongside local law enforcement, neighboring coastal fire departments, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, the U.S. Coast Guard, and other emergency partners.
Working together is especially important on waterways where emergencies can cross jurisdictional boundaries.
West Michigan has thousands of people enjoying the water every summer. We also have passenger vessels, fishing, marinas, commercial shipping, and waterfront homes and businesses. With so much activity on and around the water, having fire service resources on the water is essential.
Water safety is a community responsibility. The more people understand swimming, boating, boat safety gear, weather, and basic emergency procedures, the safer our waterways can be for everyone—including the firefighters who may be called to help. Untrained boaters should not put themselves in danger trying to perform a rescue. Knowing when to call for help shows the best care for all the passengers.
What makes this vessel unique?
Our Boston Whaler is equipped with a Raymarine radar and chart-plotting system. These tools help our crew understand where we are and what is around us, especially when visibility is poor. The boat is equipped with a Tohatsu fire pump capable of producing more than 300 gallons of water per minute. That lets our firefighters fight fires directly from the water by drafting water through the hull.
This is especially valuable during a boat fire or a fire along the shoreline where a traditional fire hydrant may not be close enough or easily accessible. In other words, this is not simply a boat that gets firefighters from one place to another.
It is a working emergency-response platform. It helps firefighters search, rescue, transport, support dive operations, and fight fires—all from the water.
Serving a Waterfront Community
Muskegon’s waterfront is one of the things that makes our community special. People come here to boat, fish, swim, work, visit, and enjoy the Great Lakes. Commercial ships and passenger ferries also share these waters with recreational boaters. With that activity comes responsibility.
The Muskegon Fire Department must be ready to respond when someone’s day on the water turns into an emergency. Our Boston Whaler gives us the access, stability, equipment, and reliability needed to do that job.
But equipment is only one part of the equation. People help save lives. The firefighters operating this boat bring hours of training, water knowledge, teamwork, and experience to every emergency. They understand that the water can be beautiful and enjoyable—but it must also be respected.
For everyone who spends time on the water, learning to swim, understanding boating safety, wearing a life jacket, knowing your boat, watching the weather, and knowing what to do in an emergency are important parts of being a responsible boater.
The safer boaters are before an emergency happens, the less likely someone will need to make a life-saving rescue.
A Boat Built for a Mission
"Our Boston Whaler helps us meet that responsibility by giving us the access, capability, and reliability we need to respond when people need us most." Battalion Chief McMillan stated. "Trained professionals use boats to protect people, help save lives, protect property, and help keep West Michigan’s waterways safe."
At Gull Lake Marine, we are proud to see our boating community represented in this way. Boats are often associated with recreation, family time, and great memories—and they should be. But some boats have another mission.
When seconds matter, these specialized boats help bring people home safely.
We appreciate the opportunity to share the firefighter's perspective and highlight the important role that water-based fire and rescue operations play in communities like ours.
Keith McMillan - Battalion Chief, Muskegon Fire Department
