Shipboard Fire Organisation: Muster Stations, Fire Teams, Command Structure and Drills
This domain tests the ship's organisation, not personal bravery: who does what, when, and what must be recorded.
The muster list and duties
- Posted before sailing and updated after every crew change; it assigns each person a station, a duty and a substitute.
- The master commands overall; the on-scene commander is normally the chief officer, or the chief engineer for a machinery space fire.
- Teams: attack, backup, boundary cooling, ventilation and isolation, first aid and stretcher party, muster and headcount, radio, and a guide to meet the shore fire brigade.
Drills and records
SOLAS requires fire and abandon-ship drills monthly; if more than 25% of the crew has not taken part in the previous month's drill, one is held within 24 hours of leaving port. Every crew member participates in at least one fire drill a month. Details are entered in the official logbook, including date, time, scenario and any deficiencies found.
Worked example
Scenario: fire in the paint locker, one person missing. On the general alarm the muster is taken and the absence identified. The attack team enters with a charged hose and BA, the backup team stands by at the entry point under the entry controller, a boundary team cools the adjacent store, the electrician isolates the locker's supply, and the ventilation team closes the trunk flap. The missing person is found by the search team, not the attack team.
Traps
- Everyone converging on the fire and nobody at the muster station.
- A drill recorded as complete without a debrief or note of deficiencies.
- Ignoring the emergency generator and emergency lighting.