4-Oct-20 – Sightseeing boat tours consistently rank as one of Chicago’s most popular attractions by visitors and locals alike. A new vessel has joined the fleet of choices – an authentic 1930s fireboat owned and operated by Chicago Fireboat Tours.

“We give our guests a glimpse of what it was like to be a firefighter stationed on the boat in 1937,” says co-captain and co-owner Raymond Novak.

The fire engine red Fred A. Busse, named for a former mayor of Chicago, was the world’s largest diesel-powered fireboat when built. It was designed to fit underneath the city’s many bridges to minimize response times. With four water pumps, it was rated for a combined 10,000 gallons per minute and could spray water up to 27 stories high.

The fireboat and its crews supplied water to some of the biggest fires in the city. Among them was the McCormick Place convention center inferno on a bitterly cold January night in 1967. The fireboat was retired in 1981.

(Left) The Fred A. Busse battles a grain elevator fire in Chicago on May 11, 1939. (Below) The Busse in 2020, docked at DuSable Harbor.

A new chapter in Chicago’s maritime history

Chicago Fireboat Tours was launched by two friends and United States Navy veterans. Novak and Erich Totsch had worked together and individually on various vessels in Chicago but dreamed of captaining their own.

In 2018, Novak was browsing boat sales on the internet and came across the Fred A. Busse. It was located in the resort area of Door County, Wisconsin, where it had been converted into an excursion boat. The Busse was just what the two aquaphiles were looking for.

“This boat is part of Chicago’s history with the fire department and with maritime history in general,” co-captain Totsch says. “Bringing it back to its home port in Chicago is pretty special.”

Over the next several months, the duo researched the history of the fireboat and worked out their business plan. They also underwent an extensive financing process aided by the Veterans Business Project, a matchmaking organization between veteran entrepreneurs and lenders.

Chicago Fireboat Tours embarked on its first cruise on July 6, 2019.

A likely partnership

Novak and Totsch served in the Navy at different times and in different roles, but their experiences and long-term deployments at sea prepared them well for partnering in a cruise company. Novak tends to the engineering side of things, and Totsch leans toward the business side. But they both can do everything, even filling in for an absent docent or tending the refreshment bar.

“In the Navy, you’re trained in your department, but you’re also trained to work outside your department, too,” Novak says. “We both know each other’s jobs on the boat. I’m Mr. Fixit, but he can help me. He’s the topsider. If he needs something, I’m there too.”

“We’re pretty even, but even Ray would say I don’t get my hands dirty as much as he does,” Totsch says with a chuckle. Erich Totsch (left in photo) and Roy Novak in the pilothouse of the Fred A. Busse.

At sea, everyone at every level is trained in firefighting as there is no fire department to call.

This year, due to the pandemic, cruise season did not start until June 23. The end date is weather-dependent but could be as late as mid-November. After two summers, Chicago Fireboat Tours hasn’t yet operated for a full season, but the red retro-styled vessel stands out as a floating museum.

“We’re a history tour,” Totsch says. “Our tours tell the story of how the fireboats came about after the Great Chicago Fire because the city needed a way to fight fires from the river. We highlight some of the big fires and how this boat ties in with modern firefighting and helped shape the city into what it is today.” Plus, the urban streetscape is stunning, Novak says. (Right) Upper deck of the Fred A. Busse.

“When we leave the dock for one of our tours, in less than five minutes you can see about 80 percent of the city skyline,” he says. “It’s pretty cool to start our tour that way.”

Tours run between 1½ and 2 hours.

How to find Chicago Fireboat Tours

The Fred A. Busse is docked at DuSable Harbor, 111 North Lake Shore Drive, on the eastern-most end of Randolph Street. The location is totally walkable from downtown. After an early dinner on Michigan Avenue before our sunset cruise, we strolled across the street and through Millennium Park to the curvaceous 925-foot-long BP Pedestrian Bridge over Columbus Drive. At the end of the bridge, you’re in Maggie Daley Park. Follow a short path to the traffic light at Monroe Street, and you’ll safely cross Lake Shore Drive to the Lakefront Trail.

Look north (left). You’ll see a large black and white ship, the MV Abegweit. That’s the home of the Columbia Yacht Club. Directly behind it on the same pier is the Fred A. Busse.

If you’re arriving by taxi or ride-hailing service, there’s a turnaround at the entrance to DuSable Harbor. Also, parking lots are nearby. Tell the attendant you’re there for Chicago Fireboat Tours.

A note on Coronavirus precautions

Chicago Fireboat Tours is operating with a reduced passenger load to observe social distancing. Face masks are required, and hand sanitizer dispensers are stationed in various locations. The front of the boat, or bow, is arranged with theater-style seating. The canopy-covered back, or stern, is set with tables, each surrounded by four chairs. The fireboat is sprayed with EPA-approved disinfectant before and after each cruise.