Photo By Petty Officer 2nd Class Christopher R Jahnke | BREMERTON, Wash. (Aug. 10, 2018) Sailors assigned to the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz...... read more read more
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Inching forward down the passageway the team settles in to position. Sweat starts to drip down their foreheads, the moment they’ve been training for is finally upon them. Smoke fills the space and a shadowy figure makes for the door, bangs three times and yells, “the door is hot!”. The door is opened as the inferno rolls overhead, and the team moves in to begin their battle.
This is what Sailors go through at the Bremerton Training Center to refresh their firefighting skills while stationed the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68).
“Our goal as instructors is getting Sailors comfortable with firefighting,” said Michael E. Tinder, director of Bremerton Training Center and retired senior chief damage controlman. “We introduce them to situations and training that isn’t possible on the ship, such as an actual fire, going on air, and being in full firefighting gear for 30 minutes.”
During the Sailors’ time in the course, they learn all facets of firefighting, from being a part of the hose team, to being a repair locker leader giving instructions to the sailors on the ground.
“It’s important that people get to experience every part of the firefighting process,” said Tinder. “Look at what happened with USS Cole and how that crew overcame the casualties to keep that ship afloat. As a Sailor, they need to be prepared to not only step up, but they need to fully understand what they are doing, and that’s all a part of this course.”
The four-day school has over ten training exercises which include classroom sessions and hands on demonstrations, all of which culminate to the student led capstone event.
“On the ship [currently], we do drills with no actual fire or water in the hoses.” said Damage Controlman 2nd Class Mayra Ochoa, from Palmetto, Fla. “This course allows us the opportunity to get the feel of actively fighting a fire. The training that happens here is a great tool for teaching Sailors who don’t know how it feels to be in the heat or even know how to use a hose. It’s an opportunity for everyone to learn valuable skills.”
For Sailors like Ochoa, this course is a refresher. For most Sailors, it’s their first time after boot camp working directly with live fires.
“In my class we had hospital corpsmen, aviation ordnancemen and logistic specialists,” said Ochoa. “Sailors in those rates typically wouldn’t pick up a hose during a casualty. This course gives them that time to learn the ins and outs of firefighting. It’s really amazing to see what can happen in four days of training and how everyone becomes one cohesive firefighting unit.”
Teamwork is one of the main skills the course strives to teach the Sailors. Instructors only have four days to impart years’ worth of knowledge to their students.
“There’s easily over 150 years of firefighting experience here.” said Kenneth Finch, firefighting instructor at the Bremerton Training Center. “From day one, things typically start out pretty rough with new student as they learn the basics. However, by day four they do everything on their own. They go through four fires on the last day of training with no assistance from the instructors. We’re only there to make sure everyone is safe and, in the event something happens, shut it all done.”
Finch also said it’s amazing to see the difference between a class’s first fire and last fire.
“As an instructor, it feels good to see improvement and know that this group was successfully trained,” Finch said. “The students of this course really stepped up to the challenge and tackled every situation they came across.”
Sailors are known for stepping up in the face of adversity. For those new Sailors who took part in this training, it could be them one day providing assistance to a casualty on the ship.
“As a Hospital Corpsmen we don’t typically fight fires on the ship.” said Hospital Corpsmen 2nd Class Arilyssa Hoyos from Lyons, New York. “Our main objective during a casualty is providing medical support to those who need it. This knowledge is valuable to have in my repertoire.”
It may be unusual for a hospital corpsman to be on a hose team during a fire, but it’s all a part of being a well-rounded Sailor. This course is just one of many that Sailors assigned to Nimitz take part in.
“If help is needed I know that I can step in and help,” said Hoyos. “I was nervous at first, and now I feel like I can fight fires. This class opened my eyes to what those Sailors go through while fighting fires. It’s really intense.”
Nimitz is conducting a docking planned incremental availability at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility, where the ship is receiving scheduled maintenance and upgrades.
| Date Taken: | 08.15.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 08.24.2018 23:04 |
| Story ID: | 290314 |
| Location: | BREMERTON, WA, US |
| Web Views: | 60 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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