by Staff Sgt. Katie Gar Ward
633rd Air Base Wing Public Affairs
5/20/2014 - FORT EUSTIS, Va. -- Approximately
115 firefighters from more than 10 local, national and international
agencies took part in the 23rd Annual Hampton Roads Marine Firefighting
School maritime incident response exercise at Fort Eustis, May 16.
The exercise was the culmination of hands-on and practical training the
students learned during the five-day school, which started May 12. Prior
to the incident exercise, students gained classroom knowledge at the
Norfolk Fire Training Center and practiced live burns and de-watering
techniques at various local training areas and on different vessels.
Students attended the school from various regional agencies including
the Langley Air Force Base Fire Department, the Virginia Beach Fire
Department, the Newport News Fire Department, Hampton Fire Rescue and
Norfolk Fire Rescue. In addition, fire departments from New York,
Philadelphia, Delaware, California and New Hampshire participated as
well as international firefighters from Hong Kong, Singapore and the
Netherlands.
The maritime incident exercise began at Third Port at Fort Eustis, where
students boarded Fort Eustis' vessels and the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter
Frank Drew to be taken to the U.S. Department of Transportation Maritime
Administration (MARAD) National Defense Reserve Fleet on the James
River.
Once students reached the Reserve Fleet, the objective of the exercise
was to evaluate how they responded to and extinguished a simulated
shipboard fire, said Bill Burket, Port of Virginia Hampton Roads
Maritime Incident Response Team director, who coordinated the exercise.
"[The exercise] allows [students'] hands-on and classroom training
components to come together so they are able to demonstrate what
platforms, logistics and equipment are needed [in a shipboard fire],"
said Burket. "A marine event requires multiple agencies, so this gives
everyone an idea of what to do, and they can take it back to share with
their own agencies."
Jim O'Brien, a firefighter with the New York City Fire Department, said
he gained significant insights from not only the exercise, but the
Hampton Roads Marine Firefighting School as a whole.
"It shows us what to expect in a ship fire and gives us different tools
and training we normally may not be aware of," said O'Brien. "It's also
good for [firefighters] to know what the staff on a ship [that is
experiencing a fire] may need, and [this exercise] teaches us how to
respond."
In teaching firefighters how to respond to marine incidents, the
exercise and school curriculum allows students to provide specialized
support to MARAD, local and regional agencies and surrounding
communities, said Burket.
"We need to be able to show the community if [a vessel] encounters a
problem and needs assistance, we're trained to respond and take care of
the situation," said Burket. "We have a strong relationship with our
port partners, and we were very fortunate this year to be able to train
so many students so their agencies now have increased capabilities."
Tuesday, May 20, 2014
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