U.S. Coast Guard and Virginia Port Authority personnel, along with regional Maritime Incident Response Team members, participated in the 23rd annual Robert E. Rumens Marine Firefighting School May 12 through 17 in the greater Hampton Roads region.
Hosted at facilities provided by Norfolk Fire Rescue Training Center, Fort Eustis, and the Maritime Administration, the school curriculum covered shipboard firefighting techniques, group classroom discussion and practical exercises aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Frank Drew and the Maritime Administration vessels Cape Rise, Cape Johnson and Cape Ray.
The purpose was to train first responders in the basics of marine firefighting and outline the complexities which exist when responding to a shipboard fire.
"The Marine Firefighting School provides valuable training and networking between responders and the local maritime community,” said Capt. John Little, the captain of the port for the Port of Hampton Roads. “This increases coordination and creates an opportunity for first responders to practice complex responses in a controlled environment."
Approximately 120 students from fire departments across the country as well as international partners from the Netherlands, Singapore and Hong Kong attended the school.
The Marine Firefighting School was made possible by the cooperation of personnel from the Coast Guard, the Virginia Port Authority, the Maritime Administration, and multiple first responder agencies.
For more information on the Marine Firefighting School, please contact Lt. Scott Williams at [email protected] or by phone at 757-483-8786.
