Forsyth County Adds New Fire-Rescue Boat to Boost Lake Lanier Response

Forsyth County has added a new fire-rescue boat dedicated to operations on Lake Lanier, the Forsyth County Fire Department announced Monday, placing waterborne emergency response closer to the county’s busiest recreational shoreline. County officials said the vessel allows firefighters to perform emergency services directly from the lake and reach incidents with specialized equipment more quickly.

Fire Chief Barry Head tied the vessel to the department’s operational goals, saying the boat will "drastically reduce our response time and improve our service delivery and our capabilities on Lake Lanier." Chief Head also warned that apparatus and equipment costs have risen sharply since the pandemic and reaffirmed the department’s reliance on voter-approved sales-tax funding to buy long-life capital.

County officials cited recent incidents on Lake Lanier, drownings, boat explosions and vehicle recoveries, as part of the rationale for the new marine asset, saying visitors and residents near the water will now have access to enhanced emergency response. The department described the lake as a popular waterway with growing recreational use and said the new vessel expands their ability to handle the range of emergencies that occur on the water.

Funding for the rescue/fire boat was provided through SPLOST, county leaders said, and the acquisition is part of a larger capital program that includes new stations and training facilities. Forsyth County issued details for Fire Station 9 in the Lake Lanier area: a groundbreaking ceremony was scheduled for 10:30 a.m. on Friday, October 28 at 8420 McBride Lane, with an estimated construction cost of $6.7 million for a 12,500-square-foot, four-bay station funded by SPLOST VI and VIII and Impact Fees. Chief Head said of Station 9, "The new Fire Station 9 will continue our legacy of dedication to serving the county," and added, "We are thankful to the taxpayers who approved the SPLOST programs that led to us being able to fund this new station." County materials list Kevin Price Construction as general contractor and Croft and Associates as architect, with the station expected to open in spring 2024; the department also referenced a Fire Station 15 replacement that broke ground in 2022.

The boat announcement was paired in county communications with other capital priorities, including a planned 34-acre training campus off Martin Road that the department intends to break ground on later this year. Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Joe Perkins emphasized technology investments at the same briefing, saying, "Technology is the short answer," as the sheriff’s office works on drones and a regional real-time crime center.

An Instagram post associated with county messaging described the vessel as "first of its kind" to be stationed on Lake Lanier and noted the county is also getting "new trucks that can easily maneuver." The county has not released technical specifications, manufacturer, model, purchase price, commissioning date, or the vessel’s permanent dock location in the materials provided so far. Forsyth County posted a media asset file (vlcsnap-2026-02-24-15h39m14s8311.png) under "Copyright 2026 by Forsyth County, Georgia" as part of its public information on the upgrade.

The addition of the fire-rescue boat reinforces Forsyth County’s SPLOST-funded strategy for long-term emergency-services capital, pairing lake response capability with new stations and a training campus meant to modernize career and volunteer firefighting across the county.