Drills

Question 1

Fire Drill

Answer 1

PSCOs witness fire drills to evaluate the crew’s ability to effectively respond to a fire. Discuss the drill with the ship’s safety officer (often the chief officer) beforehand, allowing that person to specify the location and scope.

Verify drills are completed monthly and within 24 hours of leaving port (if there has been a crew changeover of 25 percent or more since the last drill). The PSC team is evaluating the crew’s ability to effectively fight a fire onboard the ship.

Drill logs are not required to be written in English but are authorized to be written in the working language of the crew. Refer to the official logbook for drill entries. The logbook can provide the dates the drills were conducted. Review the drill logs to ensure drills are being conducted in various locations throughout the ship.

Any drill should, as far as practicable, be conducted as if there were an actual emergency.

Question 2

Pre-Drill

Answer 2

The PSCO and ship master discuss details of the drills, including:

• The drill location.
• Exempted personnel due to cargo operations or watch duties.
• Explain that the ship can simulate electrical/ventilation isolation.
• Determine if hoses are to be charged based on location (interior/exterior).
• Unless there are extenuating circumstances, at least two crewmembers dressed in firefighter’s outfit and on air utilizing a self-contained compressed air breathing apparatus.

NOTE:
Ships are required to provide sufficient spares on board to conduct drills. If spares are not provided, ensure the ship is able to fill the bottles onboard.

Question 3

Witness Fire Drill

Answer 3

• Determine if the drill is of sufficient scope to demonstrate crew competence. Have all crewmembers, except those engaged in cargo operations or on watch, participate.
• Observe the alarm indication (if activated) on the fire alarm panel and the responses of the ship’s officers. A normal procedure is to send an officer or fire patrolman to investigate. The PSCO goes to the location and describes the fire situation, such as smoke, flames, etc., to the investigator and then observes how the crew reports the fire to the bridge or damage control center. At this point, most ships sound the crew alarm to summon the firefighting parties and the remainder of the crew to their stations.
• Observe the firefighting party arriving on scene, breaking out their equipment, and fighting the simulated fire. Crew members are to report back to the bridge, as appropriate.
• Examine the firefighting team for proper donning of protective equipment and use of their equipment. Officers make sure that all of the firefighting gear is compatible, meaning firefighters can properly wear the protective suit, the helmet, the air mask and breathing apparatus, and the lifeline. Merely mustering the emergency crews with their gear is not sufficient.
• If fitted with firefighting outfits designated for training use, ensure outfits are identical to the actual firefighting outfits. If not, observe drill using actual outfits.

NOTE:

NOTE:

If lifeline attached to anything other than the D-ring firefighter’s belt, ensure that piece of equipment is also fireproof.

• If the crew is unfamiliar with their duties or incapable of safely responding to a shipboard fire, halt the drill and notify the ship’s master that the drill was unsuccessful and additional training and/or additional exercises are necessary. Provide the crew with at least one additional opportunity to complete the drill.
• If lack of performance warrants ship detention, cite the crew’s lack of familiarity with essential shipboard operations as the reason for detention.
• If language barriers among the crew interfere with adequate verbal communication, the drill can be deemed unsatisfactory.
• Best practice: Do not run the abandoned ship drill in conjunction with the fire drill, (for example, fire is out of control). This subconsciously trains the crew to have their full and dedicated attention on the fire in a real life fire emergency situation.
• Failed drill: Ensure a reasonable amount of time is given so the crew can demonstrate a successful drill (second opportunity). Keep in mind, in the event of an actual fire, time is very critical in the control and mitigation of a fire. When briefing the Captain and/or fire party leader of the initial failed drill, provide general observations when explaining the failed drill in order to determine whether the crew has been trained already and is not just responding to the PSCO’s observations.

Ensure all equipment used during drills is immediately returned to its fully operational condition and any faults/defects discovered are remedied.

Question 4

Abandonship Drill Frequency

Answer 4

Witness the drill as per reference (e), SOLAS.

• Ensure drills are completed monthly and within 24 hours of leaving port with a crew changeover of 25 percent or more.
• Verify rescue boats are launched and maneuvered in the water once every three months. SOLAS requires monthly launching of rescue boats not exceed every three months. This is for rescue boats only, not lifeboats that are also designated rescue boats.
• Verify lifeboats are launched and maneuvered in the water once every three months. See Chapter 10: Lifesaving, for additional guidance on lifeboats.

NOTE:

Freefall lifeboats are also required to be operated in the water every three months. See reference (e) and Chapter 10: Lifesaving, for additional guidance on launching freefall boats.

Question 5

Drill Brief

Answer 5

Conduct the drill brief as per reference (b), MSM II.

Ensure:

• The master knows that no crewmembers board the lifeboats during the drill.
• Crew members know their responsibilities during the drill.
• Crew members properly don the lifejackets and show proper operation of lifejacket lights and whistle.
• For additional lifesaving guidance refer to Chapter 10: Lifesaving

Question 6

Witness Abandonship Drill

Answer 6

• Verify crew is properly mustered at their stations and check muster lists for accuracy.
• Verify crewmembers tasked to bring equipment (e.g., SART) are mustered with the equipment.
• Check that the crew has properly donned lifejackets.
• Determine if crewmembers are able to communicate with each other.
• Ensure that crewmembers are familiar with abandon ship procedures/duties and the proper use of ship’s lifesaving equipment.
• Lower lifeboats, when practicable, to the embarkation deck. Ensure freeboard area from the lifeboat to the waterline is clear of any obstruction.
• Verify the lifeboat engines start properly (this may be witnessed during the lifeboat examination).
• If the crew is unfamiliar with their duties or incapable of safely operating the lifesaving equipment, halt the drill and notify the ship’s master that the drill was unsuccessful and that additional training and/or additional exercises are necessary. Provide the crew with an additional opportunity to complete the drill.
• If crew performance warrants ship detention, cite the crew’s lack of familiarity with essential shipboard operations as the reason for detention and detail specific observations that led to the failure.
• If language barriers among the crew interfere with adequate communication, the drill can be deemed unsatisfactory.

Question 7

Enclose Space and Rescue Drill

Answer 7

Verify the ship conducted enclosed space entry drills as per reference (e), SOLAS.

• Verify drills have been completed once every two months.
• When reviewing the drill logs, ensure that an actual drill was completed.
• Tabletop drills or training videos are not authorized in lieu of conducting an actual drill.
• If crew entered an enclosed space during their drill, ensure an enclosed space entry permit was filled out, as per ship’s SMS.
• Review the calibration logs for the multi-gas meter required during the drill.
• If the ship does not have calibration gas onboard, ensure they have an entry in their procedures, which authorizes the use of a shore company to complete the calibration, as per the manufacturer’s instructions.

NOTE:
The enclosed space entry drill is not normally witnessed during a PSC exam. However, if the drills have not been performed as per reference (e), witness the drill, ensuring the propsed drill does not pose a safety risk to the crew or PSC team.