THE VITAL ROLE OF FIRE SAFETY TRAINING

October 23 2003--The Centre trains around a 500 people per year in fire-fighting skills and a similar number receive the training as part of offshore courses. Clients include BP, Shell, DFDS, P&O, Stena and Maersk and earlier this year, 30 people from the charity hospital ship ‘Africa Mercy' also attended the Centre.

The fire aboard DFDS Seaways' Princess of Scandinavia last year, which was extinguished by crew members before severe damage was caused or lives placed at risk, highlighted the vital importance of fire safety training at sea.

Jeff Robinson, manager of the Fire Training Centre, said: "Incidents such as those on board the Princess of Scandinavia, Piper Alpha and the Achille Lauro show that fires can, and do, happen. The important thing is to be prepared. With the right training, fires can be controlled and extinguished, often without the need for evacuation.

"DFDS Seaways crew were well trained and prepared for the fire on The Princess, bringing it under control and allowing the vessel to proceed under her own power. This is a reflection of the quality and thoroughness of modern teaching and the introduction of new techniques, such as hot fire training, which we teach at South Tyneside College."

"Hot fire training gives personnel a far greater awareness of the reality of fire situations, possible scenarios and the best ways to handle them. Most crews who come here have experienced basic smoke training but gain far more from a properly simulated blaze."

Added Jeff: "One of the key differences between fire-fighting at sea compared with that on land, is the fact that there is no back-up should things go wrong. Crews also need to be very mindful of the volume of water they use to extinguish fires, since pouring too much water into a vessel too quickly is likely to make it unstable and may even cause it to capsize. A third challenge to crews is the narrow passages and small cabins they may have to negotiate in the course of getting an incident under control."

All instructors at the Fire Training Centre are on secondment from the Tyne & Wear Metropolitan Fire Brigade who enhance their knowledge from experience gained at sea. This means that they are fully aware of the latest fire-fighting methods, issues and safety legislation relating to marine vessels and offshore facilities.

The Centre offers training to suit all levels of personnel, beginning with a basic fire safety course, which includes foundation theory, use of extinguishers and breathing apparatus. This can be supplemented by the advanced level programme, which covers comprehensive fire-fighting and most importantly, command and control, i.e. how to organise and provide a leadership role in emergency situations.
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Ian Cullen, Director of the Marine Safety Training Centre, which includes the Fire Training Centre, said: "The role played by Jeff and his team is vital to the overall provision of a comprehensive safety programme for our clients.

"Thanks to the Fire Training Centre and its counterparts around the world, there are now personnel qualified to take remedial action in the vast majority of maritime fire situations. Modern training methods have improved consistently through new safety regulations and improving technology. There will always be fires but the vast majority of marine and offshore companies are now well placed to avoid major incidents."

For further information of the Fire Training Centre and other courses at South Tyneside College call the Information Centre on (0191) 427 3900 or visit the website at www.stc.ac.uk.

ENDS




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