Command and control
Governing: STCW Code Table A-VI/3. Builds on: L1.1.
AFF is a command qualification. The table's first competence is to control fire-fighting operations aboard ships, with emphasis on organisation, tactics and command at sea and in port.
Assessment before action
Table A-VI/3 is explicit that actions must follow a full and accurate assessment of the incident, using all available sources of information. On a yacht those sources are:
- The fire detection panel and its zone history.
- CCTV, which on many yachts covers machinery spaces and crew areas.
- The first person on scene, debriefed quickly and precisely.
- The fire control plan and the general arrangement.
- The engineer on watch for machinery, fuel and electrical state.
- The muster: who is missing is often the most important fact of all.
Priorities and sequence
The criteria require that order of priority, timing and sequence suit the whole incident. A workable order:
- Life. Account for guests and crew. Search and rescue before firefighting if people are missing.
- Containment. Close doors, stop ventilation, cool boundaries on all six sides.
- Extinction. Direct attack, indirect attack or fixed system.
- Property and environment. Limit water damage and pollution.
Command structure
| Role | Typically | Position |
|---|---|---|
| Overall command | Master | Bridge |
| On-scene commander | Chief officer (engineer for machinery spaces) | Fire control point outside the space |
| Attack team | Deck crew in fire outfits | At the fire |
| Boundary / support | Deck and engineering crew | Adjacent spaces |
| Muster and guests | Chief stew / purser | Muster station |
Water and stability
The table requires knowledge of the use of water for fire-extinguishing, its effect on stability, precautions and corrective procedures. Water goes in high and stays there.
Worked example (illustrative figures). Firefighting water pools in a deck 8 m long and 6 m wide on a yacht of 1,200 t displacement.
| Step | Working | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Second moment of free surface | 8 x 6^3 / 12 | 144 m^4 |
| Free surface moment (sea water 1.025) | 144 x 1.025 | 147.6 t-m |
| Virtual rise of G | 147.6 / 1,200 | 0.123 m |
Add the weight of the water itself: 10 m3 of sea water is 10.25 t, placed high. On a yacht with a modest GM, that matters.
CAUTION - Water discipline Use spray and short bursts, drain where you can (scuppers, portable pumps), and have the engineer report tank soundings and list regularly. A yacht can be lost to firefighting water after the fire is out.
Communications
The criteria demand transmission of information that is prompt, accurate, complete and clear. Use a fixed report format from the scene: location, fire state, teams committed, BA times, casualties, requests. The bridge keeps an incident log with times.
In port
Coordination with shore-based fire fighters is a listed topic. The REG Yacht Code requires a fire control plan (Part A section 14.5). Have a copy ready for the gangway. Brief the shore commander on location, persons unaccounted for, isolations already made, fixed systems released or available, and special hazards such as fuel, batteries or pyrotechnics. Keep a liaison officer with them throughout.
TIP - The master stays on the bridge The pull is to go and look. Resist it. Your job is to see the whole incident, not the one door.