After almost a year of seeking funding and garnering support, Washington County Emergency responders have a new vessel to aid in their water rescue missions.

The 26-foot Metal Shark vessel was officially introduced to the public during the county’s Public Safety Awareness Day Tuesday, March 18, at the Vernon James Center.

The eye-catching blue and white vessel was likely the first major sight visitors to the event saw as they pulled into the center’s parking lot.

Inside, one of the program’s keynote speakers, Captain Christopher Lee, dedicated his time to introducing the audience to the new boat as well as the tried-and-true methods of water rescue training procedures.

“Lance [Swindell] asked me to come and speak to you about our swift water rescue team today, but I’m also going to take the opportunity to talk to you about one of those vessels that we have outside,” Lee said. “The boat outside is one of our 26-foot metal sharks and these boats usually run you about 300 grand. There’s no way that our little agency could afford to buy that out-of-pocket, so this grant was a pretty huge deal for us...”