PORTAGE | The Portage Fire Department's Dive Team will apply for a grant through the Department of Homeland Security in hopes of securing a new dive/rescue/fire boat before the next boating season.

The team was without a boat this past season when the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore requested the return of the 25-foot Boston whaler the department had been using for the last several years.

"Thankfully we had a fraction of the calls we usually have," dive team leader Tom Colvin said.

The team did outfit its wave runner with a tow bar for rescue/recovery missions if needed.

Colvin said they are putting together specifications and costs for the type of boat they would like to have. The ideal boat would serve three functions, allowing the team to complete rescue and recovery operations and would also be outfitted with a fire pump. The pump would draw water from Lake Michigan to battle blazes.

Colvin said he doesn't believe there is another operational fire boat in the area.

The dive team has been working with Mayor Olga Velazquez, the Port Authority and consultant John Shepherd on the project. Colvin said they want to submit the grant next month and would hope to hear within weeks if the grant is approved.

However, he added, it is a 75/25 matching grant, meaning the team and/or city would have to come up with 25 percent of the cost for the new boat.