Bespoke Operational Firefighting Training at the Maritime Skills Academy

Fire onboard a ship is one of the most dangerous emergencies crew can face. It threatens lives, disrupts operations, and can cause catastrophic damage to the vessel and the environment. This is why comprehensive and realistic firefighting training is crucial for all seafarers. The Maritime Skills Academy (MSA) is a world-renowned training centre that equips maritime professionals with the skills and confidence to tackle fire-related emergencies effectively. In this blog, we’ll explore the importance of Operational Firefighting training and how the MSA prepares its delegates for this critical aspect of maritime safety.

Understanding the Risk of Firefighting at Sea

The enclosed environment of a ship, the presence of combustible materials, and the potential for rapid fire spread make firefighting at sea uniquely challenging. Unlike on land, seafarers cannot rely on immediate external help; they must be self-reliant and capable of containing and extinguishing fires. This necessitates rigorous training to ensure every crew member can respond swiftly and effectively to a fire emergency.

Operational FireFighting at MSA Gibraltar

The Importance of Teamwork and Communication

Effective firefighting at sea is not just about individual skill; it’s about teamwork and communication. The confined and hazardous environment of a ship requires all crew members to work in harmony, follow procedures, and maintain clear communication. MSA’s training emphasises these aspects, ensuring that delegates are proficient in firefighting and capable of working as part of a cohesive team.

The Maritime Skills Academy’s Approach

The MSA offers an Operational Fire Fighting training programme completely tailored to incorporate a vessel’s safety management system and emergency response procedures. A full consultation is carried out before training to ensure a beyond-compliance training programme is delivered specific to the client’s needs.

The training is hands-on, with fire teams being exposed to highly realistic fire scenarios, helping them develop the skills to make fact-based decisions on the front line, while enhancing their communication abilities.

Senior Officers are invited to participate, focusing on command and control and delivering clear and effective briefings and debriefings to the teams. This is the ideal environment to learn from mistakes, with expert instructors providing guidance at every stage.

Crew will gain greater confidence with both their equipment and procedures, leading to faster response times in real-life situations on board.

Operatational Fire Fighting training at MSA Dover

The training is immersive, simulating real-life conditions, including various scenarios, such as engine room fires, accommodation fires, and galley fires. These setups provide a realistic setting for delegates to practice using firefighting equipment, handling smoke and heat, and navigating confined spaces.

Operational Firefighting training at the Maritime Skills Academy is critical to maritime safety. It prepares seafarers to tackle one of the most formidable challenges they may face at sea.

With its experienced instructors and realistic training scenarios, the MSA ensures that its delegates have the skills, knowledge, and confidence to protect themselves, their crewmates, and their vessels from the devastating impact of onboard fires. Investing in Operational Fire Fighting training in addition to mandatory STCW training is vital to ensure safety at sea.

Offering bespoke Operational Firefighting training from multiple locations, including Dover, Gibraltar, and the Philippines, makes the MSA accessible to many.

For more information on Operational Firefighting training, click here

Additional Fire Safety Courses Available at the Maritime Skills Academy:

• STCW Fire Prevention & Fire Fighting Training Course (FPFF)

• STCW Updated Proficiency in Fire Prevention & Fire Fighting Training Course (UFPFF)

• STCW Advanced Fire Fighting Training Course (AFF)

• STCW Updated Proficiency in Advanced Fire Fighting Training Course (UAFF)

Operational Firefighting training briefing

Operational Fire Fighting Training at The Maritime Skills Academy with Head of Training at MSA Dover, Sam Kelly

We spoke to Sam Kelly, Head of Training at MSA Dover, to find out more about the bespoke Operational Fire Fighting Training the MSA delivers to crew.

“In 2022, in the midst of existing Covid restrictions, the shipping world transformed from minimum safe manning and laid up, to full operation almost overnight. This meant new crew were dispatched to new companies to facilitate the company’s operational requirements.

Cruise companies acknowledged the risk with respect to company procedures, especially in relation to the fire safety teams onboard.

I have been working closely with the senior management teams both onboard and ashore for a multitude of clients, creating bespoke, effective, and measurable training standards we have come to know as Operational Fire Fighting.

Their aim is for the crew to embrace and practice specific Emergency Response Plans (ERP) in a variety of scenarios with the end goal being to improve confidence for the crew.

Virgin Voyages led the way with this training with a simple request to the MSA – “Can you train our Filipino crew locally?”.

After a few calls to our partners at United Philippine Line, we quickly found a few suitable training centres. We finalised plans with a training centre in Tagaytay, called COMPASS, that ticked all the boxes to be able to deliver industry-leading courses under the direct supervision of our Maritime Coastguard Agency-approved instructors.

We adapted our current Advanced Fire Fighting course and picked out the most relevant areas that would benefit the crew, relating all the material directly to Virgin Voyages Safety Management System and Emergency Response Procedures.

The feedback from the courses delivered over the last six months has been positive and this enthusiasm has been noted when onboard during port state and weekly drills.

This has also relieved pressure on the Senior Officers, as the training has been carried out across all the Virgin Voyages crew at our multiple MSA facilities.

Virgin Voyages hosts over 60 different nationalities in crew onboard, and in the wake of the war in Ukraine, we have managed to facilitate training for crew members at our new centre located in Gibraltar, navigating Schengen visas and logistics with the help from our partners at the University of Gibraltar.

MSA Gibraltar has also been delivering a one-day Operational Fire Fighting course for cruise calls; collecting fire teams from the cruise terminal, delivering training at the Airport Fire Training centre, and then delivering back to the vessel.

The popularity of this training has been exponential in growth due to the ease for the ship operator and enabling company best practice in a truly real hot and smoky environment.

Considering the popularity of this course, a new partnership has been formed with Gib Dock and the Government of Gibraltar, in building our own fire training module at the University location in Europa Point.”

What is the importance of this beyond compliance training for you?

“The ability to get hands-on with your actual fire teams, in truly realistic fire situations.

Enabling the fire teams to make factual-based decisions on the front line and deploying effective communication skills.

We welcome Senior Officers to attend this training to enable the command-and-control aspect to take place, review effective and concise briefings, and debriefings to the teams. This is the place to make mistakes. Our instructors will be by your side throughout offering expert advice at all levels.

The crew will have more confidence in their equipment and procedures, enabling quicker reactions to situations on board.”

About Sam Kelly

Sam Kelly is Head of Training at MSA Dover.

After graduating with a degree in the Science of Maritime Operations, Sam spent 11 years working as a Navigation Officer in the ferry and cruise industries, visiting ports in the Mediterranean, Baltic, Norway and the Caribbean.

Sam then joined Saga cruises as a Maritime Operations Manager, before progressing to a Marine Superintendent. He played a leading role in bringing the newest Spirit class vessels into service and managed the turnaround operations in the UK as well as all port operations Worldwide.

Sam brings a wealth of knowledge gained throughout his career to his role at MSA Dover.

Explore our full range of maritime training courses here.

Everything you need to know about “Beyond Compliance” Training with Head of Training at MSA Dover, Sam Kelly

Maritime Skills Academy Dover is a purpose built, state-of-the-art simulation centre with industry leading training equipment. MSA Dover offers a range of courses for seafarers, from personal survival skills to fire prevention and firefighting.

We spoke to Sam Kelly, Head of Training at MSA Dover, to understand the importance of “beyond compliance” training for crew in the maritime industry.

Sam Kelly Maritime Skills Academy Expert — Sam Kelly, Head of Training at MSA Dover

What is “Beyond Compliance” training?

It is mandatory for all vessels to sail with crew that are fully certified in their specific duties, however I am a passionate advocate for “beyond compliance” training – offering further investment in the crew through training.

This involves, but not limited to, training the teams responsible for firefighting on ships. Training is held in a purpose-built centre that mimics the environment on board a vessel. Here we can safely train in hot and smoky environments, teaching the crew company specific requirements when dealing with a real fire.

It is estimated that on average, 90% of companies’ training budgets is allocated to only 10% of the entire crew.

What are the benefits of having a thorough and detailed safety system onboard?

I believe in training for the worst and hoping for the best, having a robust safety management system ensures that all crew know exactly what to do when an emergency happens. There are so many moving parts that need to work in sync to ensure a professional and effective response to deal with these situations effectively and successfully.

According to Lloyd’s Register within the last 5 years, there have been 55 accidents reported that involved grounding or fire on yachts over 24 meters in length.

There has also been an increase in lithium-ion battery fires, caused by lithium gadgets stored in tender garages or dedicated storage areas.

These statistics highlight the importance of fire prevention training for all crew members that goes beyond the mandatory standards set, to ensure they are equipped with the skills to allow them to confidently deal with an emergency situation on board.

Does investing in your crew’s training benefit in the long term?

Investing time and effort in your crew will improve morale, retention and confidence. We have recently developed an Operational Fire Fighting Training (OPFF) course for Virgin Voyages and have successfully delivered multiple sessions around the globe.

This includes at the University of Gibraltar, in the Philippines and at MSA Dover, working with their Senior Management Team to ensure the course replicates the expectations of crew on board. The crew’s response to this investment in their training has been hugely positive, as they feel valued by their employer and more courses have now been scheduled.

What can the crew learn from having “beyond compliance” training?

If the crew have completed our operational firefighting training, they will gain confidence in the equipment, improve their communication skills, and understand the importance of teamwork.

They will also have a much better knowledge of their company’s emergency response procedures.

About Sam Kelly

Sam Kelly is Head of Training at MSA Dover. After graduating with a degree in the Science of Maritime Operations, Sam spent 11 years working as a Navigation Officer in the ferry and cruise industries, visiting ports in the Mediterranean, Baltic, Norway and the Caribbean.

Sam brings a wealth of knowledge gained throughout his career to his role at MSA Dover.

Explore our latest courses at Maritime Skills Academy here.