Port Security and Incident Response:

Shipboard Firefighting

Fighting a fire on board a ship presents some unusual hazards and considerations for municipal fire fighters.  The U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD) the U.S. Coast Guard, and the Port of Milwaukee teamed up to present a seminar and special ship tour designed to help fire fighters learn what they need to know to tackle a shipboard fire.   Nearly 120 fire fighters from Wisconsin and Illinois port communities took advantage of this focused training.

Firefighters take a shipboard familiarization walk through a 1000-foot Lake vessel in winter lay-up at the Port of Milwaukee.

The shipboard familiarization walk stressed location of engineering areas and shipboard firefighting equipment.

The three one-day sessions, on January 23, 24, and 25, 2002,  included classroom instruction, including some videos of some actual ship fires.  Instructors from the U.S. Maritime Administration's Fire Fighting School emphasized what responding port municipalities need to know in order to react to a shipboard fire in a proper manner.

• Vessel characteristics, equipment, vessel terminology.
• Shipboard fire fighting considerations, hazards, tactics
• Coast Guard responsibilities, jurisdiction, and assistance available during a fire or waterfront emergency.

MARAD and Coast Guard instructors show a typical fire plan.  Every ship is supposed to have a detailed plan like this, showing the configuration of the ship and the location of firefighting equipment.

For information on the Maritime Administration's shipboard fire training program, please contact: