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The ’40 Workcenters’: Keeping Ships Safe at Sea
By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Samantha Jetzer
USS Ronald Reagan Public Affairs
INDIAN OCEAN (October 8, 2020) — Damage Control (DC) workcenters, also known as the "40 workcenters," ensure the Navy’s only forward deployed aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) is ready for any mission by maintaining all emergency equipment onboard.
Fire stations, watertight doors and hatches, vertical and incline ladders, portable CO2 and potassium bicarbonate (PKP) fire extinguishers, ventilation systems, and deck drains, are only a few of the systems maintained by the 40 workcenters. They are responsible for making sure that when the time comes, the crew will be able to quickly and properly respond during emergency and general quarters scenarios.
“This equipment is very important because it’s how we stay lethal onboard Ronald Reagan,” said Chief Engineman Bolaji Baruwa, a 3M (material maintenance management) coordinator onboard Reagan. “DC keeps our war machine at sea, safe and lethal. The damage control petty officer (DCPO) plays a critical role by ensuring that all DC equipment is well-maintained and available for emergency use when necessary, as well as training personnel to improve DC proficiency.”
Damage Controlman 3rd Class Josalin Beaulieu performs daily upkeep on these vital pieces of equipment as a DCPO in engineering department’s EX40 workcenter.
“DCPOs are important personnel because we’re the ones that do the maintenance on really important pieces of equipment,” said Beaulieu. “We need to make sure everything is good-to-go in terms of how to do the maintenance and what is involved with it.”
As subject matter experts, EX40 DCPOs also have additional DC responsibilities to support the ship, including electrical safety, material readiness and gear issue.
“We help other divisions with tagouts,” said Beaulieu. “If they have any questions about the maintenance, we help train them. We also update compartment check-off lists and issue flash gear and gas masks.”
Despite the name, most DCPOs do not belong to the Damage Controlman rate. The qualification process involves thorough training about the types of equipment maintenance personnel will be working with, in addition to learning proper tagout and spot check procedures.
“When I first came up here, I thought this was going to be difficult,” said Culinary Specialist 3rd Class Terique Birl, a DCPO in supply department’s SS40 workcenter. “But once you start working on it, it makes more sense. There are instructions, procedures and manuals to make sure you do things the right way without the equipment being destroyed or harming yourself.”
Without DCPOs, Ronald Reagan would not be able to perform its mission requirements. Every "40 workcenter’s" main responsibility is to ensure the basic equipment needed to save the ship is fully-operational.
“Everything we do is to save lives and prevent casualties,” said Birl. “Most of this preventative maintenance is to keep equipment from being destroyed because if there’s a casualty and the equipment is destroyed then we’re in trouble. The ship trusts us to get it done the right way.”
| Date Taken: | 10.08.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 12.30.2020 06:43 |
| Story ID: | 386056 |
| Location: | INDIAN OCEAN |
| Web Views: | 222 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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