Providence Boat Ride Under Fire

Once upon a time, journalists used to be thinking people. Now, too many seem to run with press releases and treat them as fact. I know very little about the City of Providence and couldn’t pick out any of the involved parties from a line-up. I can tell you this is all political posturing and the “I-team” should find a better rabbit to chase.
As long as the fire boat was not kept from performing its duty, I don’t see any issue whatsoever here. It sounds like they were in the water for standby and had something gone wrong with the fireworks, having visitors on the boat would not have kept them from going to work. It reminds me of an Alan Brunacini story. After watching a Phoenix engine company give an old lady a ride home in the rain, a friend asked Brunacini, “what happens if they get a fire?” The chief responded, “then she’s going to a fire, too.”
As for the fire chief and his wife on board… He’s the fire chief. That boat is under his command (indirectly) 24/7. He can ride it if he wants to and he can authorize ride-alongs if he wants to. That’s the perk of being the chief.