USCG Marine Safety Alert - Firefighting Preparation is Key
The U.S. Coast Guard’s recently posted Marine Safety Alert raises awareness within the Marine Transportation System to the unique dangers of shipboard fires, particularly onboard multi-level freight vessels like vehicle carrying Roll-on, Roll-off or “Ro-Ros.”
The safety alert centers around July 2023’s foreign-flagged Ro-Ro vessel fire which occurred on one of its vehicle decks while cargo was being
loaded. Tragically, in attempting to mitigate the fire, two land-based firefighters lost their lives and several others were injured.
Preliminary findings of the ongoing investigation, led by the Coast Guard working with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, indicated that the local fire department responding to the incident had little to no maritime firefighting training, experience, or familiarization with cargo ships of any type.
Unfortunately, this is only one of several vessel fires occurring within the last five years where the lack of familiarity with commercial vessels and
inexperience with shipboard firefighting techniques unduly endangered the safety of responding personnel.
Read the U.S. Coast Guard’s Marine Safety Alert – Firefighting Preparation is Key report here: USCG Safety Alert – Firefighting Preparation is Key
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Find additional USCG Safety Alerts here: U.S. Coast Guard Safety Alerts