Entry & progression
Governing: 46 CFR 11.201(h), 11.303; officer training lists in 11.305–11.321. Builds on: L2.1. Content: MCA Advanced Fire Fighting in the xplor library.
Who needs it
11.303(a): “Applicants seeking an STCW officer endorsement must provide evidence of meeting the standard of competence as set out in Table A-VI/3 of the STCW Code”.
11.201(h) sets firefighting for national officer endorsements. The course must have been completed within the past 5 years, or you must show maintained competence.
| Firefighting level | Endorsements (11.201(h)) |
|---|---|
| Basic and Advanced (VI/1 and VI/3) | National Master or Mate on seagoing vessels of 200 GRT or more; Master or Mate (Pilot) of Towing Vessels on oceans; MODU officers; all engineer officers; all OSV officers; all STCW officer endorsements except GMDSS Radio Operator |
| Basic only (VI/1) | Master on vessels of less than 500 GT in ocean service; Towing Vessel officers near-coastal, Great Lakes, inland and Western Rivers (a modified basic course may be approved for inland towing routes) |
If a raise of grade crosses into a higher category, meet the new requirement at that point (11.201(h)(4)).
CAUTION – The 200 GRT line again A yacht mate moving from a 150 GRT boat to a 250 GRT boat on a seagoing route crosses the AFF line for her national endorsement, even before STCW is considered.
The five-year rule
11.303(b): every 5 years, show maintained competence to Table A-VI/3.
11.303(c) accepts 1 year of sea service within the last 5 years for:
- firefighting procedures at sea and in port, with emphasis on organisation, tactics and command;
- communication and coordination;
- ventilation control, including smoke extraction;
- control of fuel and electrical systems;
- process hazards such as dry distillation, chemical reactions and boiler uptakes;
- storage and handling hazards; management of injured persons; coordination with shore firefighters;
- statutory and classification survey requirements for fire systems.
11.303(d) accepts only shore assessments for:
- use of water for extinguishing and its effect on stability;
- firefighting involving dangerous goods;
- organising and training fire parties;
- inspecting and servicing fire-detection and extinguishing systems;
- investigating and reporting fire incidents.
11.303(e): without the year in five, meet the original requirement again or complete approved or accepted refresher training. 11.301(b)(5) repeats it.
Yacht reality
- Water and stability. A superyacht’s free-surface margin is small. Water from hoses and boundary cooling collects as free surface, and a yacht has little margin for it. That is why this element is assessed ashore.
- Lithium batteries and tenders. Not named in 11.303 but squarely inside “fire precautions and hazards associated with storage and handling”. Expect a good course to cover them.
- Leading the fire party. On yachts the mate often leads both the fire party and the drills. The AFF shore element on training fire parties is directly relevant.
WARNING – AFF and BT revalidate separately BT revalidation (11.302) does not revalidate AFF (11.303). Some schools run a combined refresher; check that the certificate names both.
TIP – Pair it with BT Book AFF and BT revalidation in the same week at the same school. The fire-ground elements overlap and the 5-year clocks then run together.