Table 7-2.—At-Sea Fire PartyAT-SEA FIRE PARTYCommanding officers may organize an at- seafire party either as a standing organization or aspart of a special detail. As an on-scene leader youmay be placed in charge of the at-sea fire party.The at-sea fire party may be formed intact as arepair party or unit or may be composed ofmembers of the various repair parties. A standingat-sea fire party will respond to all fires occurringat sea except when the ship is already at generalquarters. If the at-sea fire party is at the scene ofa fire when general quarters is sounded, it willremain at the scene until relieved. The purposeof the at-sea fire party is torespond immediately to fire alarms whenrepair parties are not manned,extinguish small fires effectively withoutdisrupting other ships’ operations, andcontrol fire until ongoing sensitive criticalevolutions can be terminated and generalquarters stations can be manned andready.At-sea fire parties will normally consist of thepersonnel shown in table 7-2. Variations areauthorized if required by the needs of a particularship. The DCA is responsible for the organizationand training of the at-sea fire party.When the fire alarm is sounded, the at-sea fireparty will proceed from the closest repair lockerto the scene of the fire. Scene leaders will weara steel helmet painted red and marked front andback with l-inch black lettering identifying therepair party (II, III, etc.). The lower circum-ference of the helmet will have three 1-inchhorizontal stripes of reflective tape in white,red, white. No other member of a repair, damagecontrol, or rescue and assistance party will weara similarly marked helmet or one that could bemistaken for a scene leader.INVESTIGATING DAMAGEAs an on-scene leader you should be qualifiedas an investigator. Four principles of investiga-tion should be considered in your investigationof damage:1. An investigation must be thorough.2. It must be conducted with caution.3. Results must be reported clearly andquickly.4. Investigations must be repeated.Ships have been lost and others have sufferedunnecessary damage because investigating person-nel have neglected one or more of these fourprinciples.Investigation TeamsEach repair locker and unit has at least fourinvestigators, with OBA tenders organized intotwo-man teams and assigned specific areas forinvestigation. If an area has extensive damage,form additional teams. Equip each investigatorwith an OBA. An investigator’s kit containing asounding tape and deck drain wrench is providedby the OBA tender. If an investigator must entera space alone, the OBA tender must man atendering line secured to the D ring on the backof the investigator’s OBA.Initial/Rapid SurveyInitial indications should be recognized andevaluated quickly to give DCC an accurateestimate of the extent of damage. Investigatesymptoms of dangerous conditions, such as aminor loss of power, a wisp of smoke, droppingpressure, or excessive warmth of a bulkhead, andtake prompt corrective action. You should alsoprovide details on casualties that interfere withrepairing or limiting damage, such as absence oflight or ventilation and the presence of smoke,flammable liquids, wreckage, or loose stores.7-8
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