Safety Stand Down

Shipmates,
Over the past few weeks an alarming number of shipboard fires have occurred aboard several of our cutters. Most of these fires were the result of performing maintenance and repairs; all were preventable. Although the crew's response in each case was excellent and injuries were limited to minor cases of heat stress, we cannot allow this trend to continue. Safety must remain a top priority for every Guardian.

In light of these events, the Office of Naval Engineering, the Office of Cutter Forces and the Office of Afloat Safety released a Surface Forces message directing an immediate safety stand down for all cutters. This time shall be used to review shipboard policies and local fire response memorandums, inspect fire detection and flooding alarm systems and conduct all-hands fire prevention training. In addition, Commanding Officers of cutters undergoing dockside or drydock repairs shall ensure all fire watch personnel qualifications are up-to-date and that an adequate number of property-equipped watches are assigned to monitor hot work. A safety stand down message will follow.

Whether at sea, on shore, or at home, we must remain vigilant for our safety as well as that of our shipmates. I described in an earlier post how I nearly died in a shipyard fire when I was an Ensign. It was a preventable occurrence. Like the mishaps we have seen in recent weeks it involved hotwork (welding) conducted without the proper safety precautions. I was lucky. Luck is no substitute for adherence to universally accepted safety practices. Trust me on this one.

ADM A