Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Cory Asato | GREAT LAKES, Ill. (June 9, 2023) Accession Sailors demonstrate proper bottle handling...... read more read more
GREAT LAKES, Ill.— Surface Warfare Engineering Schools Command Great Lakes (SWESC GL) Damage Control (DC) Schoolhouse trained 24 prospective Culinary Specialist in general shipboard firefighting (GSF) training before departing to Joint Culinary Center of Excellence at Fort Gregg-Adams, Va. for “A” School, the week of June 5, 2023.
GSF Great Lakes meets the U.S. Navy’s six-year level one firefighting requirement, a training requirement for every Sailor stationed aboard a U.S. naval vessel. The school has qualified approximately 6,500 accession Sailors each year for the past six years.
"The general shipboard firefighting course here at SWESC Great Lakes builds on training provided at RTC giving new accession Sailors their first exposure to extinguishing live fires using appropriate techniques in full firefighting gear, directly building fleet readiness," said Cmdr. Ervin L. Henley, commanding officer SWESC GL. " Our course satisfies the shipboard six-year level one firefighting requirement, which ultimately saves the fleet time and money. SWESC firefighting training shortens the new accession Sailors integration into shipboard damage control teams, supporting efforts to increase overall shipboard firefighting capabilities. With us providing this training we are assisting the fleet by providing better-trained, better-qualified Sailors that can positively impact basic shipboard fighting effectiveness.”
The two-day curriculum encompasses in-classroom lessons pertaining to fire chemistry, classes of fires (Alpha, Bravo, and Charlie), fire party organization, portable extinguishers, protective equipment, as well as self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) during the first day, and live firefighting trainer labs cover wild hose, hose handling, and firefighting procedures during the second day.
“Here at SWESC Great Lakes, we train all seamanship, navigation, engineering and combat systems ratings and will now be teaching supply ratings in a two-day fleet equivalent general shipboard firefighting course which gives accession level Sailors the basic understanding and operational use of naval firefighting equipment and practices,” said Chief Hull Technician Nicolas Myers, leading chief petty officer of DC “A” School. “Giving our accession Sailors the knowledge and skills to handle complex tasks to control, contain, and put out fires in this life-like-ship-in-a-box simulator using controlled propane fires. Our instructors here break down to the basics
for students by explaining the proper wear, usages, and DC practices for our students ensuring they are prepared to take on casualties in the fleet.”
Training accession Sailors in GSF before reporting to their first ship not only benefits the fleet but delivers the right training, in the right way, at the right time in a Sailor’s career track to best benefit and build a strong foundation while reinforcing basic concepts instilled at RTC. The basic mandated training provided through the GSF course significantly reduces the backlog of more than 6,000 unqualified Sailors fleet wide.
“Aboard every U.S. Navy vessel, DC is everyone’s job not just the responsibility of Damage Controlmen,” said Damage Controlman 1st Class Daniel J. Shepherd, DC laboratory and wet trainer course supervisor at SWESC GL. “Everyone says it and it’s true, the reason I point this out is to focus on and comprehend the gravity of what we do, the impact of training accession Sailors in damage control. On a ship, we’re all firefighters.”
Shepherd further explains how his instructors are the Navy’s best instructors to mold brand new Sailors into able bodied firefighters aboard U.S. Navy vessels.
“Our job here at the fire trainer is to help familiarize every accession level Sailor with the various fires, how to gauge the casualty and apply the best course of action to address it,” said Shepherd. “No junior Sailors is expected to report to their first ship an expert at fighting fires, that’s why we do our best to equip these Sailors with the best firefighting training in the fleet.”
Ships fleet wide are able to save time and money by focusing their training efforts on requalifying Sailors who haven’t had the GSF course in the last six years due to junior Sailors being qualified in GSF.
“The reality is we are preparing for that fire that no one expects at 2 a.m. or the one you stumble onto while walking through the ship. We’re laying the foundation for a solid basis so that when they check onboard, the fleet will build upon the knowledge we’ve instilled in our Sailors to stay alive.”
SWESC GL plans to ideally provide GSF training to every new accession Sailor in the future making every Sailors are more capable warfighter throughout the entirety of their first enlistment.
For more information on SWESC GL, visit: https://www.netc.navy.mil/SWESCGreatLakes/.
| Date Taken: | 06.09.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 06.09.2023 16:55 |
| Story ID: | 446642 |
| Location: | GREAT LAKES, ILLINOIS, US |
| Web Views: | 552 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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