operating characteristics. For an operator, spending time in the boat and learning what it can/will do in variable conditions is key in being able to safely control it. It is very important that the operator is com- fortable with the boat when under intense pressure with adrenaline pumping – such as when fighting a fire. Firefighters receive ample training in and around fire trucks; in regard to training, fireboats are no different.”
Mariner-at-sea firefighting Aboard ship, Royal Canadian
Navy firefighters have three min- utes to arrive at the scene of a fire dressed in full bunker gear with breathing apparatus. Training takes years to complete, beginning with eight months to reach QL3, then
within 18 months to attain OJT4 certification, and onward to a more advanced QL5 level, which takes an additional five months. A QL5 level firefighter can handle pretty much anything and is very much in demand after service duty is com- pleted in the Forces. Seven firefighting academies
across Canada provide this training. The final result is an Air Force- certified firefighter. The firefighters on board teach drills and proce- dures to the entire crew. They are also the primary responders who go straight to a fire. Marine Matters spoke with McKeil
Marine, which operates a consider- able tug and barge fleet throughout the Great Lakes and East Coast, about its ‘at-sea’ standards. As a pre-requisite to ‘aboard employ-
McKeil tug and barge departing Hamilton harbour.
ment,’ McKeil asks for, among other courses, completion of the STCW 95 course. This course has a basic firefighting course as part of its cur- riculum. To ensure that everyone working aboard at McKeil keeps these skills sharp, the company en- sures that mandatory drills as per the Fire and Boat Drills Regulation are conducted, documented and audited. There are other drills such as man overboard, power failure, confined space and serious personal injury. During the fire drills, the master is
asked to make up possible scenarios for the men to respond to. Examples would include a man missing at the muster station and possibly trapped below. The men don the equipment (boots, pants, jacket, helmet and shield, along with the SCUBA tanks
Photo: McKeil Marine 18
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