Shipboard Fire Teams, Assets and Deficits – 4 of 4
Fire Gear Lockers:
I could ramble for hours on Repair Locker organization. For now, we’ll keep it simple. Keep in mind, again, your assets and deficits.
The repair lockers themselves are assets, but where are they located? If your lockers are located in an area where they can only be accessed through one route, you might rethink the location. If you have two lockers (forward and aft), how far apart are they? If you had to abandon a locker or ask for more equipment from another, how long would it take? Don’t be afraid to consider installing a third repair locker mid-ship. By putting your primary locker in the middle, this reduces the time it takes to get valuable equipment and personnel where they’re needed the most. As the main coordinator of firefighting efforts, you should always be aware of what equipment assets you have and when should they be moved.
Fire Team:
Fire parties are normally assigned by position. Your best assets should be your rapid response team. Do you have a RRT?
How many people do you need on a fire team? I would recommend at least four: Team Leader, Nozzleman, and two Hosemen. A hose team is considered “manned and ready” when they have all four members dressed out at the entrance to the effected space, with a positive fire fighting agent test. Remember that control of fire fighting efforts falls on the most competent person that is closest to the fire. In this case, the team leader, a position usually held by the Chief Mate. It’s his fire and he reports to the bridge only to provide input for coordination. The fire, itself, belongs to him.
How many fire teams will you need? There are so many variables that it would be difficult to give one all-inclusive answer. Keeping your assets and deficits in mind, consider that if there is more that one entrance to the affected space, would two fire teams be effective in putting out the fire?
The one thing that stands out in maintaining firefighting efforts is air pack time management.
Missed the first section of this article? Go back and read Fighting Class B Fires, Assets and Deficits – 1 of 4
This series was written by Timothy Ciciora, Command Master Chief USN, Retired, Atlantic Beach, Florida, author of short stories, including “The Homecoming,” the opening selection in the Marlo Thomas best selling collection, The Right Words at the Right Time – Volume 2.
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