Forsyth County fire department adds rescue boat for Lake Lanier emergencies

A new fire rescue boat is now part of Forsyth County’s response on Lake Lanier, giving firefighters a faster way to reach swimmers, boaters and anglers when emergencies unfold on the water or along the shoreline.

Forsyth County posted the announcement Feb. 24, 2026 as a video feature, saying the new vessel lets Fire Department crews perform emergency services directly from Lake Lanier. County officials framed the boat as an upgrade that should make lake rescues more strategic, especially during the warm months when traffic on the water climbs and the shoreline fills with families, visitors and weekend boaters.

The investment reflects the scale of the lake itself. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says Lake Sidney Lanier has 76 recreational areas and more than 690 miles of shoreline. Recreation.gov says more than 7.5 million people visit each year, while regional tourism materials often put annual visitation closer to 8 million to 10 million. The Corps also says the lake was built in the 1950s and is authorized for flood protection, power production, water supply, navigation, recreation and fish and wildlife management.

For Forsyth County, that level of use creates a public-safety challenge that landlocked communities do not face. The county operates lake parks and campgrounds including Charleston Park, Mary Alice Park, Six Mile Creek Park, Young Deer Creek Park, Bald Ridge Campground, Sawnee Campground and Shady Grove Campground. It has also warned that attendance at its lake parks and ramps can rise sharply during major holiday weekends such as Memorial Day, when emergency crews have to cover heavier traffic, bigger crowds and a wider rescue area.

The new boat also expands the county’s ability to work across agencies when law enforcement, fire crews or emergency medical responders need help reaching someone near the water. County leaders have made lake-area fire coverage a priority before, including when Forsyth replaced Fire Station 9 and said residents in the Lake Lanier area had long waited for a much-needed update.

Fire Chief Barry Head, who has served Forsyth County for more than 25 years, now becomes the public face of that effort. He was appointed interim fire chief effective Oct. 17, 2025, after Danny Bowman retired Oct. 16, 2025, following 50 years in fire services and a career with Forsyth County that began in 2001. The new rescue boat adds another tool to that system, as the county prepares for the kinds of water emergencies that come with living beside one of Georgia’s busiest lakes.