(WBBM NEWSRADIO) --- Built in 1936, the Fred A. Busse was the largest, diesel-powered Fireboat in the world. The vessel served the Chicago Fire Department for 44 years. Navy Veteran Ray Novak saw the boat was for sale and immediately reached out to his friend Erich Totsch with a business plan.
“We worked with an organization called Veteran Business Project and they work with veterans who want to become entrepreneurs,” says Novak.
Veteran Business Project works to create veteran small business ownership opportunities by getting military, veterans, and spouses into business. The organization says it’s dedicated to solving the problem of veteran unemployment in America by helping entrepreneurial veterans get into business for themselves.
“They helped us make our dream come into reality. It was really cool,” says Novak.
Navy Veterans and Licensed Captains, Novak and Totsch, bought and renovated the retired fireboat in 2019. The two were able to navigate through the pandemic and now say that business is great.
“One thing with our Navy training, I think we adapted and overcame many things. Here we are in 2023, doing what we like to do and expanding,” Novak says.
The guided historical and architectural tours take passengers from Lake Michigan onto the Chicago River, navigating the same waterways where firefighters once traveled.
“To see 18,000 people on this boat last year and us telling our story and giving a tour of the city of Chicago on a piece of Chicago history, it just brings a warm feeling to my heart,” Novak says.
The Fred A. Busse is a floating piece of history. The boat houses a miniature museum with artifacts, photos and firefighting memorabilia from its time in service.
The boat was built specifically to fit underneath Chicago’s bridges, minimizing response times for emergencies and helping ease congestion in a booming city. Upon her retirement, she was converted into a passenger vessel, did cruises in Chicago, then operated tours in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin for almost 20 years.
“We brought it back to Chicago and now we run tours,” says Totsch “Come check us out.”
The tours operate from DuSable Harbor. For a full cruise schedule and to purchase tickets, visit www.fireboattours.com
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