The District’s fire chief said his department did not apply for federal funding to replace a boat city inspectors have since deemed “obsolete” because he didn’t think it would be worth the effort. In a response to an Office of the Inspector General report, Fire Chief Kenneth Ellerbe said it would cost about $7 million to replace the 50-year-old John Glenn Jr., the District’s only rescue boat capable of handling large-scale emergencies. But Ellerbe said given the average grant amount for the last three years has been less than $230,000, the city probably wouldn’t get what it needs for a new boat.

“Because of our classification as an ‘All Other Port Area,’ it is highly unlikely that our grant application will be successful,” he said in his response published with the report last week, in which he noted the nation’s capital would be competing against the likes of ports in Marinette, Wis., and in Guam.