Emergency Response, Firefighting and Life-Saving Appliances
Emergency response and LSA
This domain tests action on fire, abandon ship, man overboard and rescue, and the drills and equipment that support them.
- Fire needs heat, fuel and oxygen; remove one side of the triangle. Boundary cooling protects structure while the fixed system attacks the seat.
- Fixed CO2 must not be released until all personnel are accounted for; closing ventilation and fuel is part of the sequence.
- Lifeboats and liferafts are rated by persons; on-load release gear must be checked and correctly reset.
- EPIRB and SART are emergency distress devices; test only as permitted and stow where they can be reached.
- Drills must be recorded; the OOW should know muster lists, duties and escape routes.
Worked example
A fire is reported in the engine room. The OOW raises the alarm, stops fuel and ventilation, closes openings, accounts for personnel and boundary-cools the casing. Only then is fixed CO2 released, with the space sealed. No one re-enters until the space is cooled, ventilated and tested for oxygen and toxic gas. For a man-overboard, the initial response is to throw a lifebuoy, mark the position, inform the bridge and manoeuvre to keep the person on the lee side for recovery.
Traps
Using water on an oil or electrical fire. Releasing CO2 with people unaccounted for. Opening a fire door to 'look'. Assuming a liferaft can be overloaded because it is close.