Nita Greer, Vice President of Corporate Marketing Communications for fire protection, life safety and security industry leader Telgian Holdings, Inc., was recently elected to the Board of Directors of The Fireboat Fire Fighter Museum. Greer brings over 35 years of experience in marketing communications to the Board, including strategy and planning, as well as the creation of award-winning marketing and public relations campaigns.
“We are pleased to welcome Nita Greer to the Board of Directors,” says Charles Ritchie, President and Founder of the Fireboat Fire Fighter Museum. “Her proven expertise will be instrumental as we continue to expand our outreach and share Fire Fighter’s incredible story.”
“It is an honor to serve on the Fire Fighter Board of Directors,” says Greer. “Fire Fighter is a true American hero and a tangible example of the unwavering commitment and sacrifice of firefighters and fire protection professionals everywhere. I look forward to the opportunity to use my experience to help grow awareness of this iconic vessel, ensuring her preservation for the next generation.”
For over seven decades, Fire Fighter, known as “America’s Fireboat,” protected the United States during some of the most harrowing incidents in American history. During World War II, Fire Fighter stood ready as ammunition-laden boats left for Europe from New York Harbor, providing courageous service on famous rescue missions including the fire and capsizing of the SS Normandie and the massive munitions ship El Estero fire.
Following the attack on 9/11, the fireboat was tasked with the greatest challenge of her career – pumping water from the Harbor after the Twin Towers collapsed and all water hydrants were crushed. Fire Fighter and other FDNY Marine Units were the sole source of water for firefighting efforts at Ground Zero. Throughout this longest ever emergency call, her vintage water cannons worked tirelessly pumping 24/7 for two solid weeks.
In 2009, toward the end of her active career, Fire Fighter participated in the rescue of US Airways Flight 1549 passengers after its emergency landing in the Hudson River.
Fire Fighter was designed by celebrated naval architect William Francis Gibbs in 1938 and gained rapid acclaim as a modern engineering marvel. Capable of pumping an astonishing 20,000 gallons of water per minute to nine topside fire monitors, she was powered by one of the first diesel-electric power plants ever installed in a fireboat. Her design was so cutting-edge and performance so impressive, that during her entire 72-year active career, Fire Fighter remained in virtually unchanged operational condition. She has outlasted all of her fireboat contemporaries and even the majority of the FDNY fireboats half her age.
Fire Fighter was decommissioned in 2010 and today is designated as a National Historic Landmark listed on the National Register of Historic Places. She is currently docked at the Mystic Seaport Museum in Mystic, CT, and is available for tours, school trips and corporate events as a fully operational vessel, memorial and teaching museum. To preserve the fireboat’s incredible legacy, the Fireboat Fire Fighter Museum is a 501c3 non-profit, volunteer organization which relies on financial contributions from corporate sponsors, as well as the general public. For additional information about Fire Fighter, events and tours, sponsorships, or volunteer opportunities, please visit America’s Fireboat.
For media inquiries or interview opportunities, please contact Susan McNeill, smcneill@telgian.com.