Firefighting organizations aboard
maritime vessels consists of several
teams the master of the ship bears the
overall responsibility for the operation
no duties vary from ship to ship usually
the chief officer will be in charge of
operations in the accommodations and
deck area and the chief engineer is
responsible for operations in and around
the engine room
the crew is also divided into various
teams such as firefighting teams engine
room teams technical teams and first-aid
teams a detailed description of the
composition and a location of personnel
to various fire parties will follow in
another chapter
the organization and jurisdiction
shore-based rescue services and the
resources available to them will vary
from country to country and may involve
civilian or military emergency agencies
the way in which the operation is
handled will also depend on whether the
ship is at sea or import local
firefighting authorities will normally
engage buyers that occurred in port
fires and see how ever will require a
great deal more organization which can
include assistance of firefighting tugs
and the transportation of firefighting
crews and equipment from several
different stations to the area such
operations are co-ordinated at
multi-jurisdictional levels
when the coastal station receives an
emergency signal the message is relayed
to national and international networks
that will then contact the relevant
emergency services
it may however take some time before
they arrive usually commercial vessels
sailing nearby will be the first to
arrive at the scene and provide
assistance
the master has ultimate responsibility
for any operations on board the vessel
by tactics we mean planned courses of
action or procedures that are intended
to result in the best possible outcome
this involves the placement and
coordination of crew members or teams in
such a way that maximizes their ability
to cope with the situation these
procedures include alerting for
notifying alarm instructions
saving lives
the mounting the fire
thanks the use of smoke
it is important to alert or notify the
bridge and me
this can be done by you system or by
using automatic manual alarm systems the
management on board will then have more
organized the firefighting operation
emergency plan
onboard every vessel you will find an
emergency plan explaining the meaning of
the various alarm signals and your
specific duties in an emergency
situation
make sure you are familiar with the
emergency plan on your vessel click the
different buttons to hear the alarm
signals
direct contact with the fire is not the
cause of most fatalities the majority of
deaths are caused by inhalation of smoke
and toxic gases as soon as someone is
suspected to be missing the master must
be informed so that a search can be
carried out
keep in mind that this search involves
risks to the rescue crew plus it
directly delays the extinguishing
activity because crew members that
should be firefighting must conduct a
search
therefore any missing personnel must be
found or accounted for as soon as
possible
crew members must report to their
assigned posts immediately upon the
sounding of an alarm otherwise work will
be delayed because the search has to be
made for personnel that are not in any
immediate danger
the emergency escape breathing device ii
be d is a personal breathing mask that
keeps the user with oxygen for a certain
number of minutes enough to enable him
or her to escape to a safer environment
the IMO requires a minimum of two sets
in the accommodation room to in the
engine room area to spare sets and one
training set this means a minimum of
seven sets per vessel
it is also a vital importance to limit
the fire by cooling down bulkheads
closing the ventilation
removing gas bottles from the area
shutting down electrical power sealing
off the area
fire doors are designed to isolate
various sections of the vessel from both
fire and smoke propagation they must
operate via a remote closing mechanism
but also manually in case of power
failure fire doors and dampers operation
is a standard part of the ships
mandatory fire drill
smoke and fire dampers close the
ventilation and air flow through parts
of the vessel because the number type
and location of fire doors and dampers
will vary from ship to ship crew members
are expected to become familiarized with
them it is very important that all times
no instructions are in the way of their
closing mechanism
the sooner that extinguishing operations
are started the greater the chances of a
successful result when choosing an
extinguishing method the goal must be
the total elimination of the blaze one
must also consider the amount of damage
the extinguishing agent will cause to
the surrounding area while still keeping
in mind that the first priority is to
extinguish the fire before it causes any
more damage in some parts of the vessel
one can choose between fixed
firefighting installations or using
manual equipment such as hoses or
extinguishers in some areas of the ship
manual firefighting will be the only
alternative permanent firefighting
systems such as co2 Imogen orgonite or
Thome should be installed and used in
areas where the danger of a
fire-starting is high there is a great
risk of fire spreading any manual
firefighting involves a certain degree
of risk to the extinguishing force the
decision as to which equipment to
utilize in a specific situation must be
well based
being in command requires good
leadership skills important qualities in
relation to being a good leader include
professional skill
communication
trust
communication skills are in
human relations and earning the respect
of your fellow crew mates it is
important to keep in mind not only what
you say but also how you say things the
tone of your voice and use of body
actually mean
good leaders are also good listeners and
this gives them an ability to connect
the environment only a very difficult
place to communicate in ya hood order
can result in a serious accident
misunderstandings can easily occur when
crew members of different nationalities
and native like to communicate in a
second language so it is important that
everyone can understand what the other
is saying
a simple mod may seem to confirm
what you have said has been understood
but keep in mind this is not true for
all cultures if there is the slightest
doubt whether an order has been
understood
be sure to ask the person to explain
what they are two before they start work
the noise of machinery and the sea can
also add difficulty to communicating you
should avoid long and potentially in
accurate phrases especially during
emergency situations remember messages
to the smoke divers must be short and
precise
the master or the person in charge must
be an experienced and skilled
professional who is confident in their
ability to assess situations as they
arise as well as being able to motivate
and inspire others professional skills
are obtained through experience
general competence
training