A total of 36 attendees representing seven different FPAAC member agencies participated in the annual live fire training at the Marine and Environmental Research and Training Station (MERTS) in Astoria, Oregon.
The training brought together responders from across the region for a dynamic, hands-on learning experience utilizing MERTS facility’s realistic ship prop with live fire capabilities to add an element of realism to the exercise scenarios.
With multiple regional fire agencies in attendance, this annual training continues to provide an opportunity for interagency collaboration on realistic shipboard scenarios and the application of technical skills.
The scenarios were designed around the challenges of shipboard fires involving rescue, fire suppression, or both. Participants were required to make decisions based on the information they could gather from role players on arrival, reinforcing situational awareness and adaptability in challenging environments.
A primary focus of the training was incident command and decision making. On-scene commanders were tasked with obtaining critical information via the ship representatives from their assigned recon team to develop and communicate their developed strategy. Crews were then given clear assignments, tasks and objectives to support that strategy.
With the Incident Command element inclusion, the training offered a valuable opportunity for less experienced officers and those working towards their chief officer task books to step into those command roles. Feedback during the post training evaluation and discussions identified this as a highly positive learning experience.
This 2Q Technician level training was also notable as the first led by Jim Merten, FPAAC’s new Training Coordinator. Under Jim’s leadership at this training, the program maintained its strong foundation while introducing an emphasis on scenario-based fire attack and rescue operations.
Thank you to the role players and aides who supported the training, its success would not have been possible without your assistance in the various operational roles.
Finally, FPAAC extends its appreciation to Tony Como, Wade Matthews and the MERTS facility for their continued support of the training program.