Always Have a Plan

By Kevin Deerman

Recently my crew and I had our first “actual” safety meeting on our safety equipment and how and when to act in certain emergency situations. In our meeting, it was decided that we only needed to have a general discussion on the use and location of our medical equipment because of the outside classes that we all attend.

We keep a D-Dey Offshore custom medical kit onboard as well as an AED and Oxygen tank that we check and update yearly. My crew and I also attend a refresher D-Dey medical training class on the application and use of this equipment every couple of years. In the refresher course, we get to renew our Basic Life Support (AED and CPR) and Stop The Bleed certifications as well as get updates on new techniques.

Although we are all aware of the location and proper use of our other emergency equipment, we had never sat down to discuss an organized plan of action for different scenarios. The following are a few of the situations that we felt we should go over so we would all be on the same page should any occur.

Lighting Strike

• Discussed total loss of power and electronics.
• For communication, make sure handheld VHF, GPS and handheld sat phone units are charged and unplugged from power sources and fixed antennas, especially if we are near potential storms.
• Use of alternative charts on iPad or iPhone for navigation.
• Have someone contact shore by phone if necessary.

Taking on Water

• Obviously, make sure pumps are on and try to locate where the water is entering.
• Discussed methods to stop or slow water flow with emergency wood plugs, rubber and clamps, or towels and zip ties and know the location of these items.
• Operation of emergency crash pump (location of power switch and valves).
• Location of life jackets (remove from cases and check).
• Operation of EPIRB and Personal Locator Beacon (check batteries and test annually).
• Operation of life rafts and deployment (check inspection date).
• Location and contents of ditch bag (check dates on flares, replace all batteries, replace food items).
• Have someone contact shore by phone if necessary.

Fire Plan

• Location of fixed fire system components and location of pull station (check date for annual inspection).
• Location and operation of all handheld fire extinguishers (check date for annual inspection).
• Discuss evaluation of fire and use handheld extinguishers if possible before activation of the fixed boat system.
• Have someone contact shore by phone if necessary.

Finally, we also discussed man overboard prevention and procedure, engine room checks, and general awareness. With the amount of time we spend on the water and the distances that we travel offshore, it’s best to use every resource we can to ensure the safety of our passengers and crew. In the ocean, we are out of reach of first responders, and there could come a day that we have to be our own.