As the number of large waterfront fires diminished and fewer large FDNY fireboats were needed Harvey was removed from regular Fire Department service in 1995 in favor of her newer brethren.   She was then laid up at the FDNY Marine Repair Shops at the Brooklyn Navy Yard where she received minimal attention, and laid for four years basically neglected.

Declared surplus property by the City, she was placed up for auction and bought by her present owners on February 11, 1999 - 69 years to the day after Pilot Harvey was killed.   Within six months, Harvey was placed in good operating condition, making her first voyage on August 4, 1999. She performed and pumped well, signaling the first of many new trips as a preserved historic vessel. Now eight-five years old her engines, electrical systems, and pumps are still functional and still making trips with adults and kids.