The Observer, July, 2008

Firefighters attend marine training symposium

Land-based f i ref ight ing techniques can be inefficient and even dangerous aboard vessels in port or on the ocean. That’s why Alaska coastal community firefighters, including Prince William Sound, made their way to Valdez for the Land-Based Marine Firefighting Symposium, sponsored by the citizens’ council May 5-7.

Firefighters from more than a dozen communities throughout Alaska, including the state fire marshal and representatives from the U.S. Coast Guard, state of Alaska, American Salvage Association, Marine Pilots Association, Bureau of Land Management, oil shipping companies, Alyeska Fire Brigade, and the city of Valdez participated in this year’s event.

Participants learned some basics about shipboard firefighting as well as fire awareness and prevention for tank farms, cruise ships, small boats, and marinas.

Council maritime operations project manager and symposium co-coordinator Chris Jones said the training the firefighters received should give them a better understanding of how to react in the event of a marine fire, whether on a small vessel, tanker or tug.

The main highlight of this year’s symposium was a tour of the Polar Discovery, one of ConocoPhillips’ Alaska double-hulled tankers. Attendees received a guided walk-through and an overview of shipboard fire prevention systems. The ship’s captain and chief engineer were available to speak with tour participants about the ship’s fire plans.

“This was the most difficult activity to arrange, since we relied wholly on Polar Tankers’ generosity and commitment to public safety by their vessel operators, who allowed us access to the vessel,” Jones said.

Participants also attended a realistic hands-on firefighting exe r c i s e aboard the pi lot boat Emerald Isle, provided by Southwest Alaska Pilots Association. A smoke machine was placed in the lower decks of the vessel. Firefighters used a thermal imager to locate a simulated body in a corner of the vessel’s lower deck. They also practiced routing hose down through the vessel to the source of the smoke.

A facilitated panel discussion was held for the purpose of understanding how participants from different backgrounds could work together in the event of a fire aboard a tanker in Prince William Sound or at the Valdez Marine Terminal.

The symposium addressed the problems of dowsing down an oil tank only to have the roof collapse or spraying water on a burning vessel, which can swamp a boat that most likely was headed for the ocean floor anyway.

To address fire issues near storage tanks, participants were led through a tour of the Petro Star tank farm. Participants also discussed fire pre-planning and tactical approaches to fighting tank farm fires.

Council Executive Director John Devens said he was very impressed with the organization and execution of this year’s symposium and is looking forward to further promoting dialog between firefighters and industry.

“Just like in the event of another big spill, if a tanker or terminal fire were to break out, cooperation would be the most important tool we have to contain and avoid a large-scale disaster,” Devens said.

Devens and Jones expressed their gratitude to co-coordinators Capt. Jeff Johnson and Capt. John Taylor, the instructors and everyone else who made the symposium a success.

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