Fighting fires
at sea: How the SCDF trains for incidents in the
waters
SINGAPORE: Battling flames gets harder - and more dangerous -
when you're on a ship out at sea.
That is why marine firefighters train on a ship simulator at the
Marine Fire-Fighting and Rescue Training Facility, which can
realistically replicate a real-life incident.
Marine fires and rescues are just some of the incidents the
Singapore Civil Defence Force's (SCDF) Marine Command Force
Operation is specially trained to handle. It responded to 10 such
emergencies last year and also in 2016 – the highest number since
the division was set up nearly six years ago.
“In a land scenario, when the going gets tough, they
(firefighters) can always exit the building and run to safe
ground,” said Major Neo Jia Qi, commander of the West Coast Marine
Fire Station. “However, out at sea, the only place they can stay
safe is a floating platform, such as a floating vessel. So there
are actually very (few) safe places.”
Including the West Coast and Brani Marine Fire Stations, the Marine
Command has about 200 personnel, including support staff. Marine
firefighters are specially selected and have to undergo an
additional five-week training programme on top of their
firefighting and rescue training to learn to handle such
incidents.
Warrant Officer 1 Chan Kim Mun, marine section commander of the
West Coast Marine Fire Station, said: “We have to start with
hauling of equipment before we can even begin operations on board
the vessel. After hauling all the equipment, which will take at
least 20 minutes, our guys will already be exhausted. So with that
limited amount of manpower, we have to acclimatise and manage the
operation as best as we can.”
IN THE SHOES OF A FIREFIGHTER
I spent a day at the training facility to find out just how
challenging the job is.
Just putting on the firefighting suit was enough to make me sweat
from the heat. It was also a challenge getting used to the weight
of the breathing apparatus, which was about 21kg.
There was also the difficulty of getting used to breathing with
the mask, as well as communicating and taking instructions.
As for the firefighting itself, it was exhilarating, extremely hot,
tiring and scary all at the same time.
Besides fires, marine firefighters also have to deal with
chemical attacks on board ships. This requires them to suit up as
well, in a slightly different way.
The red high-performance suit offers a high level of protection
from direct exposure to chemical agents, and is worn by personnel
who need to remove a chemical agent source.
Those wearing the grey chemical agent suit, which offers skin
and respiratory protection in contaminated environments, deal with
search and rescue, and casualty conveyance.
Victims are brought to the men in white light decontamination
suits, who wash down casualties. This was the outfit I tried
on.
Besides being drenched in sweat again, I found it hard to wash
down someone while wearing a layer of protective wear. My sense of
control, when trying to cut a casualty’s outfit and spray it with
water, was inhibited because of the rubber gloves. In a crisis,
trying to keep calm while doing all this would be a big
challenge.
As part of their training, marine firefighters also have to
conquer obstacles. One of them is a 7.4m ladder climb, which helps
them get used to climbing up the ships. This was not hard, but only
because I had a harness on, and the ship was stationary instead of
out at sea.
Finally, in the event one needs to abandon ship, there's also a
confidence jump – a 4.5m leap into a 9m-deep pool. All this to
ensure marine firefighters can cope with incidents swiftly and
effectively.
Source: CNA/am