Subscribe
Whether out to sea or ported at home, the Navy must be prepared for any threats to the ship and its crew — one of the biggest threats is fire. Sailors never let their guard down and train regularly to combat fire, floods, and any other casualties that could compromise the ship or its crew.
The world’s largest aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford’s (CVN 78) At-Sea Fire Party, also known as the Flying Squad, is the ship’s first line of defense against shipboard casualties.
“The responsibility of the Flying Squad is to respond to any and all bells, if there is an emergency on board,” said Lt. j.g. Jeremy Luallen, Gerald R. Ford’s fire marshal. “Specifically fires, floodings, ruptures, and anything that the ship would need emergency response from, the team is ready to go.”
Simulated or actual casualties require the flying squad members to respond within minutes and seconds.
“When they ring those bells, we’re the guys running through the ship to fight whatever casualty,” said Hull Technician 1st Class Remigio Davila, from Houston, flying squad member. “First ones in, last ones out, there to save it.”
In the event of a casualty, time is of the essence. Every second counts when trying to keep a casualty from becoming a ship-wide disaster.
“Our goal is to contain and stop a casualty from spreading, before it affects anyone else,” said Senior Chief Damage Controlman Kristina Gonzales, Gerald R. Ford’s fire chief. “When you’re out to sea, there’s no one else to call, it’s our responsibility to respond and restore the ship to its fighting condition.”
The Flying Squad consists of volunteer members who are highly trained in damage control response by the Damage Control Training Team (DCTT). The team is made up of multiple roles, including: team leader, attack team, scene leader, repair locker leader, rapid response team, investigators, phone talker, rapid plotter, hose team, dewatering team, de-smoking team, boundarymen, electrician and a corpsman.
“I chose to join the flying squad because I feel like it’s the most important role you can hold on the ship,” Machinery Repairman 3rd Class Prisila Simpson, dewatering team member from Houston. “Knowing how to fight fires and stop floods can save people and prevent people from getting hurt on my watch.”
Being a member of the flying squad team teaches Sailors to take charge and builds confidence and resiliency. They are the first responders to any casualty day or night. Without their quick response and action, every casualty could turn into something more serious.
“The flying squad team onboard the ship is extremely driven, you give them a challenge and they are going to meet it every single time no matter what,” said Gonzalez. “They take criticism very well and they correct it. They very rarely make the same mistake twice. They are one of the best flying squads I’ve ever had the opportunity to work with.”
In the event that the casualty becomes larger than the capabilities of the flying squad, general quarters may be set. General quarters is a condition of readiness and hearing the alarms notifies Sailors around the ship to man battle stations and prepare to combat casualties. All Sailors aboard the ship are trained in firefighting and stopping floods. Sailors will immediately report to their battle stations at the announcement of general quarters and begin damage control assessments and efforts.
While at sea, there are no outside emergency responders to come save the day. The Sailors of Gerald R. Ford and the flying squad are the responders. The integrity of the ship and the lives of shipmates rely on every single Sailor, which is why training is so imperative. No matter who they are or what their rate is, every Sailor knows how to combat casualties in order to save the ship and all of the Sailors onboard.
The GRFCSG is conducting a scheduled deployment in the Atlantic Ocean in support of interoperability and maritime security. The GRFCSG provides an inherently flexible naval force capable of deploying across combatant commands to meet emerging missions, deter potential adversaries, reassure allies and partners, enhance security and guarantee the free flow of global commerce. In total, the GRFCSG is deployed with more than 6,000 Sailors across all platforms ready to respond globally to combatant commander tasking.
Gerald R. Ford is the U.S. Navy’s newest and most advanced aircraft carrier. As the first-in-class ship of Ford-class aircraft carriers, CVN 78 represents a generational leap in the U.S. Navy’s capacity to project power on a global scale. Ford-class aircraft carriers introduce 23 new technologies, including Electromagnetic Aircraft Launching System, Advanced Arresting Gear and Advanced Weapons Elevators. The new systems incorporated onto Ford-class ships are designed to deliver greater lethality, survivability and joint interoperability with a 20% smaller crew than a Nimitz-class carrier, paving the way forward for naval aviation.
For more information about the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), visit https://www.airlant.usff.navy.mil/cvn78/ and follow along on Facebook: @USSGeraldRFord, Twitter: @Warship_78, DVIDS: www.dvids.net/CVN78 and LinkedIn at USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78).
| Date Taken: | 07.14.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 07.14.2023 16:07 |
| Story ID: | 449260 |
| Location: | ADRIATIC SEA |
| Web Views: | 801 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Flying Squad – US Gerald R. Ford’s At-Sea Fire Party, by PO2 Jennifer Newsome, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
