SAUK RAPIDS -- Thanks in large part to the efforts of the daughter of a Sauk Rapids Firefighter, their fire department has a new airboat designed to keep both rescuers and victims safer than ever before.

Madelyn Adamski, daughter of firefighter Jason Adamski, raised the money two-years ago. The teenager raised over $75,000 to help the city pay for the boat.

The Sauk Rapids Fire Department's "Madelyn Rae" will let first responders get to places which were difficult, or not realistic to reach before. City Administrator Ross Olson says the new tool makes a critical facet of the fire department, a little less dangerous.

"Water rescues are often dangerous operations for our firefighters to go on, crucially important, but they put their lives on the line when they're out on the Mississippi River in particular."

The boat was recently delivered after testing and training down in Texas. Olson says the Madelyn Rae can get around on surfaces other than open water.

"It does a great job on land as well, going across ice, which is important here in Minnesota, on the river, lakes, when people fall through this baby can not only go across the open water but also the ice and keep our first responders safe."

The boat can also handle crossing fields, marshes, and swamps, almost as well as it can the open water. A 580 HP motor helps propel the boat wherever it needs to go. The "Madelyn Rae" will be available for mutual aid for surrounding cities.

Besides just the boat, the fire department threw on some other accessories, like lights and a GPS.

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