Fighting Shipboard Fires

The United States Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point, New York, continues to set the bar higher and higher for safety at sea training. In early April they ran their second hands on seminar where 140 sailors took the help during crew overboard exercises with a real person in the water, shot off flares and fire extinguishers, inflated life rafts and climbed in from the water in full foul weather gear with life jackets on and more. UK Sailmakers was proud to be on of the sponsors who helped make this event happen.

To help educate sailors who did not make it to the seminar, UK Sailmakers Sailmakers video taped some of the session and we will continue to post new clips in our Safety at Sea online library. The latest video covers fighting shipboard fires. Brook West, a life long sailor, volunteer fire fighter and staff member of Landfall (formerly Landfall Navigation) is was the main presenter during this session.

Brook’s main advice, stay calm, get your crew on deck ready to abandon ship if the fire gets out of control, keep the fire from getting behind you and always have a way out of the boat. If possible have some help you get combustibles like sails, cushions, and crew gear away from the fire. When you use the fire extinguisher remember PASS: Pull the safety pin, Aim at the base of the flames, Squeeze the trigger handle and Sweep the spray across the base of the flame. He also recommends using up the whole extinguisher to make sure the fire is out.