The John H. Glenn Jr. is a fireboat stationed on the Potomac and Anacostia rivers in Washington, D.C.[2] Her bow was reinforced in 1984, allowing her to also serve as an icebreaker during the winter.

[6] The report noted that, in addition to not implementing a program of general inspection, the city had neglected to plan or budget for a replacement for the fifty-year-old vessel.

The report estimated that it would cost $7 million to replace the John H. Glenn Jr. with an equivalent, modern vessel.

[7] Similarly, budget problems had forced the fire department to take half its fleet of firetrucks out of service, because it could not afford to keep them in running order.

In 1982, the John H. Glenn Jr. and the city's other vessels tried to rescue people when an Air Florida airliner collided with the 14th Street Bridge.