Below you can read some useful check points and guidelines for fire-fighting drill in UK as published by KRS

■ Progress for fire-fighting drill

o   Don’t run(panic) when fire‐signal for drill coming

o   Close all doors in accom. on way to muster station

o   Just carry and don’t wear life jacket(it should be used for abandon ship drill)

o   All crews should be gather at muster station including person on duty

o   confirmation for injured and missing crew

o   All crews carry their equipment (fireman’s outfit, fire hose etc.)

o   Crew should be informed where equipment store in advance

• Don’t enter into the accom. area after run out of there because the area is filled with fire and smoke

• Fire hose has proper length to reach to the E/R floor

• Fire line for cooling for area around fire should be supplied until end of drill

• A jet of fire line for cooling should be held by 2 persons as 1 team

o   The second officer controls crews on scene

o   The length of hose should be consisted with 2 or 1 hose according to ship’s condition

o    Duty should be granted in advance.

• Em’cy fire pump should be used for fire in E/R and main fire pump should be used for fire in area of em’cy fire pump.

• Don’t reach to em’cy fire via E/R filled with fire and smoke.

• Fire hose should be carried by at least 2 persons as 1 team who wear BA and fireman’s outfit.

• The fire team should start to wear fireman’s outfit at muster station

o   (Fire team is consist of at least 5 persons and the first officer is leader. 2 persons wear fireman’s outfit and other 2 persons assist to wear.)

• Pressure check for BA and tight test for mast.

• Fire team enters into fire zone according to the instruction of first officer.

• Feel the surface heat with his hand.

• The second person of fire team helps not to disturb another person with fire hose entering.

• Other people without fireman’s outfit must not enter into the fire zone.

• Mission of the first fire team is to rescue the injury.

• After rescue of the injury, another fire team of at least 2 persons with fireman’s outfit enters into the fire zone.

• The first officer reports entering and coming out time, name of fire team and pressure of air bottle to the bridge and records on the bulletin board.

• At bridge the progress of distress call, report to shore etc. should be carried out.

• At bridge condition from on scene report should be recorded on the copied fire control plan. (the fire zone, entrance, situation of fire team etc.).

• The third officer records all report on log book.

• Rescue team is consist of 2 persons.

o   The second officer controls.

o   Stay not far from the fire zone without strong wind.

o   (Preparation: stretcher, first aid kit, blanket, basket with water in a half, oxygen respirator, cooking vinyl foil for burn damage etc.).

o   Move the injury to the safe place and give treatment.

o   Rescue team should know how to use oxygen respirator and wash the burn damage and wrap with cooking foil.

■ Instruction for fire-fighting drill

• Before fire fighting drill, PSCO instructs to crews below and start drill.

o   According to SOLAS Chapter III Reg.19.3.1, drill should carried out just like actual situation at sea.

• All lights can be off to make up the situation but em’cy lights can be on for the unforeseeable circumstance.

• PSCO gives some information such as assumption of fire in E/R which is filled with fire and smoke.

• When the fire zone are designated, report the fire to captain at bridge(personally not with phone) ‐ In many cases, fire report can be omitted.

• Don’t enter into E/R with big fire and smoke just with a portable fire extinguisher. In that case PSCO considers person without wearing fireman’s outfit and coming into the fire zone as a dead person and isolates person from drill.

• All persons carrying fire hose and entering into fire zone should wear fireman’s outfit.

• Arrange for the hose for cooling around fire zone.

• At bridge all report from the scene should be submitted and properly recorded on log book.

• In many cases the rescue team is not familiar with oxygen respirator and treatment of burning damage.

■ Attention for consulting company for fire/abandon ship drill

• Prepare all equipment not to waste unnecessary time for checking equipment for drill. Wasting time is led to increasing cost.

• Make the arrangement for consulting company to be on board right after the vessel is berthing.

o   Repetitive drill that crews can be accustomed to should be carried out before PSCO comes on board.

• Massive cost will be charged for rectification when the vessel is detained with deficiencies of drills.

• Incentive and options for training without additional cost will be a good manner to reduce the expense when ship is not detained for the drills.