Sunapee fire boat returns to Lake Sunapee for summer service

Sunapee’s marine-response Boat 1 is back on Lake Sunapee, restoring the town’s summer water-rescue coverage just as boating traffic starts to pick up. The fire department said Lieutenant White and Safety Officer Gosselin finished the annual spring maintenance on April 24, then launched the boat for the 2026 season.

For now, Boat 1 is temporarily docked at the town docks between the tour boats while Sunapee’s dedicated safety-services dock is assembled in the coming weeks. The placement keeps the vessel visible in the harbor and ready for emergency incidents and service calls on the lake while the seasonal setup is completed.

Boat 1 is more than a patrol craft. Sunapee Fire’s apparatus list says it carries firefighting and rescue-EMS equipment, including spotlights, rescue ropes, backboards, fire extinguishers, water cans and 150 feet of 1 3/4-inch hose line. The department said that makes the boat a response platform for fires, accidents, medical emergencies and other hazards on the water.

The timing matters in a town built around Lake Sunapee, where public access points at Sunapee Harbor and Georges Mills help drive heavy spring and summer use. Sunapee Fire said Boat 2 remains in service as well, housed at the Georges Mills Station and available for smaller bodies of water, mutual aid or support alongside Boat 1 on Lake Sunapee. The department’s apparatus roster says it operates two boats as part of an all-hazard fleet.

The seasonal launch comes after a busy stretch of work already on the water. Sunapee Fire reported 148 calls from April 1 through June 30, 2025, including 52 medical calls, 74 fire calls, 10 motor vehicle accidents and 12 service calls. In that same quarter, Boat 1 and Boat 2 both responded, and the department averaged 3.23 minutes from tone to first unit responding and 10.42 minutes to first unit arriving on scene.

That response capacity has been tested before. Sunapee Fire held yearly ice and cold-water rescue training in Georges Mills Harbor on January 18, 2025, and on May 25, 2025, it responded to an overturned sailboat on Lake Sunapee with New Hampshire Marine Patrol, with no injuries reported. With the boat now back in service, Sunapee enters the busy season with its lake rescue posture already in place.