Holding Effective Drills
Holding Effective Drills
Holding Effective Drills
VIDEOTEL
VI DEOTEL PRODUCTIONS
The Guide
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production or authorised translation, supply or sale of this video for accuracy of any information given hereon or for ilny omission herefrom .
(CONTENTS)
INTRODUCTION
The package
THE GUIDE
Session p lan
10
DRILL PLANNING
11
Drill briefing
12
Drill observation
12
De-briefing
13
14
lS
16
18
ASSESSMENT QUESTIONS
19
ASSESSMENT ANSWERS
20
r
(INTRODUCTION )
(What the package is for
When an emergency arises at sea a ship's first and often only line of defence is the ability of the crew to respond
and cope quickly and effectively. Calling on outside help is inevitably the exception, rather than the rule.
This means that officers and ratings must be thoroughly trained and given practice in handling all possible
emergencies, from rescuing an injured colleague to abandoning ship. But not only must everyone be trained,
they must also be able to demonstrate that they can put what they have learned in their training to work in
circumstances which simulate real emergencies. That is the purpose of holding dri lls.
Such is the importance of dealing effectively with emergencies at sea that the type, standard and frequency of
drills is governed by international conventions, such as SOLAS, and Port State regulations. This has important
commercial implications for sh ipping companies. No-one wants a ship delayed by the inability of the crew to
perform a satisfactory drill.
But to seafarers there is a much more important reason for being able to show that they can cope quickly and
effectively with emergencies. Their lives may depend on it.
The purpose of this Videotel package is to make all crew members aware of how important drills are for their own
personal safety and that of their colleagues and to help them improve the quality of the drills that they hold.
(The package
(THE GUIDE)
(The Guide contains: )
This introduction.
Guidance to help an officer prepare and lead an awareness raising session with a group of crew members.
summary.
Guidance for a discussion amongst a group of officers responsible for organising drills. This covers:
preparing a drill.
de-briefing.
Assessment questions. A list of questions which those running awareness raising sessions can use to check
whether individuals taking part have absorbed and understood the principles of holding effective drills.
Think about examples which you will want to refer to during the discussions. In particular:
incidents from drills in which this group have taken part.
examples relevant to your ship.
examples of good practice as well as bad . It is very important that the session should be positive - after all,
you are discussing how to save one another's lives. Too much emphasis on what goes wrong during drills
may discourage the group.
Decide how you will use the Assessment questions. For example:
you might ask individuals to complete as many of them as they can before the training session .
you might use some of them as discussion starters during th e session (the Session Plan already contains
discussion of three of them, but you may want to add others).
you might use them to confirm understanding once the session is over.
(Session Plan )
,(What is a drill?
Begin the session by asking the group for examples of emergencies which they may have to deal with . Their
answers should include:
fire .
abandon ship.
man overboard.
recovery of injured crew members from enclosed spaces .
Ask them what the differences are between being trained to handle these emergencies and holding a drill.
(Training)
( Drills
II
- -
Internalional conventions, such as SOLAS (Safety of Life at Sea), and Port State regu lations govern the type,
standa rd and frequency of drills which must be held and impose penalties on ships which fail these tests.
That is someth ing which is obviously important to shipping company managers ashore w ho are responsib le
for the commercial success of their businesses.
But there is a much more important reason for seafarers to make sure we can carry out drills to the highest
possible sta ndard .. .... .
Ou r lives may depend on it!
Ships do catch fire . They co ll ide with one another. Crew members are overcome by fumes in enclosed spaces.
We all do our best to make sure these things don 't happen but, when they do, we must know how to react.
Drills force us to show that we can spring smoothly into action and handle emergencies correctly without
waiting to be told what to do.
You may want to split the group into sub-groups of three or four for this discussion. If you do, ask each sub
or badly?
Tell them that you would li ke th em to justify their answers with examples from the video and their own
Speed
Good drills begin and are ca rried out at a pace as near as possible to a real emergency. Rem ind the group
about the quick and efficient way crew members were tackling the fire in the mock up at the fire school.
Realism
As the PSC Inspector said:
'I think drills should be held as in a real life emergency. The crew is going to react in a real emergency as they do in
practice. If the crew isn't allowed to use the eqUipment as they would in real life, then they won't be fam iliar with it '.
Taking it seriously
Remind the group that the drill they do today may be followed by a real emergency tomorrow.
Good communication
Communication involves:
talking. There is a scene in the video showing the crew instructing passengers how to put on lifejackets.
In a real emergency this must be done clearly and calmly. That takes thought and practice.
listening. The crew in the video who are being briefed before a drill are concentrating hard on what is
being said. In a real emergency there is normally little time for the leader to give instructions and none for
him to repeat himself.
watching. Team members handling an emergency must pay attention to what one another are doing. For
example, in the scene at the fire school one of the f irefighters shouts to the colleague following him 'Mind
the step! '.
Correct technique
The PSC Inspector referred to crew members trying to jump into a lifeboat which was hanging 4 feet (1.2m)
out from the side of the ship. Effective drills never contain dangerous and incorrect techniques like this.
Teamwork
The scene showing the team rescuing a colleague from an enclosed space shows how, in an effective drill, the
group involved will demonstrate that they can act as a smoothly functioning team .
Better de-briefing
Though a drill is not a training session, once it is over every opportunity should be taken to learn from what
happened. The video shows the crew members who tack led the fire on the ship doing this. Tell the group that
there are two important features of a good de-briefing:
discussion. Of course the observers will have comments to make, but it very important for those who
took part to discuss the experience with one another.
positive. It is all too easy fo r de-briefing sessions to become negative and depressing by concentrating
entirely on those aspects which need to be improved. It is just as im portant for everyone involved to
identify what went we ll and plan how to build on those strengths.
Familiarisation
Under STeW, everyone employed or engaged on a seagoing ship, with the exception of passengers, must be
made familiar with the ship's layout and safety equipment and procedures.
To equip themselves for emergencies, individual crew members must build on that initial training so that,
whether the emergency is real or a drill, they can find their way about the ship 'with their eyes shut'.
Normal operations
The video referred to an incident in which the route which a team wanted to use to gain access to a fire was
blocked with oil drums. There is also a scene showing a crew member trying to make the lifeboat release gear
work by hitting it with a hammer!
Remind the group that we will improve our drills and, more important, be more successfu l when we have to
respond to real emergencies if we do not create unnecessary hazards for ourselves.
(summary )
None of us want emergencies to happen, but when they do we want them to be handled like the evacuation of
the passenger ship shown on the video - quickly, efficiently and with no-one getting hurt. That takes preparation
and training and practice in as near to real conditions as we can safely manage.
Bring the session to a close by emphasising once again that drills are not a chore or a routine or someth ing we
do because some international convention says we must. We carry out drills because :
(ORGANISING AN
INDniIDUA~ DRILL
(The Video)
Watch the video and then discuss points raised in it which you think are relevant to your ship. In particular:
The video showed some of the concerns which Port State Control Inspectors have about drills they witness,
such as a lack of realism, equipment that does not work properly, poor teamwork and evidence of inadequate
training.
Have any of your recent drills revealed similar problems?
What do you think are the best features of drills on your ship?
What would you most like to improve about your drills?
(Legal
req~lrem~nts
Though the most important reason for seafarers to hold effective drills is to protect lives in the event of a real
emergency, officers must also be aware of and meet the minimum standards for drills set out in international
conventions.
On-board training and Instruction. Details and timing of training for individuals in the use of the ship's
Records
The STeW Code, Chapter VI, Section A-VI/l defines the mandatory minimum requirements for familiarisation
and basic safety training and instruction for all seafarers. It defines:
Familiarisation training. What all seafarers must be trained to understand and do before being assigned to
shipboard duties, for example what to do if they detect fire or smoke.
Basic training. What seafarers with designated safely or pollution prevention duties must be trained to
understand and do before being assigned to any shipboard duties, for example elementary first aid.
Failure to meet the standards demanded by the regulations may result in your ship being detained, with all of the
serious financial consequences described by the PSC Inspector in the video .
* Depending on which edition you have on board, you will find the details as follows : In the 1996 Amendments
(effective 1998), Chapter III, Regulations 19 and 20 refer. In the SOLAS Consolidated Edition (1997)
Regulations 18 and 19 refer.
10
(Drill planning)
You will find a blank Drill Preparation Form on Page 15 of this guide. Use this to plan individual drills. It covers:
Date
Location/ Description . For example:
fire in galley.
pump room rescue.
Review of previous drill. Read the notes from the last drill of this type. Make a brief note of:
what went well. It is important to build on strengths, so when you are planning the next drill identify
what, specifically, these are.
improvements required . These are points which you will want to pay particular attention to during the drill.
realism . There are limits to how realistic you can make a drill. You cannot set the ship on fire! However,
within the obvious limitations, try to make the drill as near to a real emergency as possible. In particular,
think about:
leadership. If, for example, you are planning an enclosed space rescue dril l, who will lead the team?
Should you pull the leader out in the middle of the drill to assess how the rest of the Leam react?
equipment use. It is important that crew members have the opportunity to demonstrate that they can
use the ship's safety equipment. Though you may not be able to cover the decks in foam every time
you hold a fire drill, you must not wait for a real emergency to find out whether fire crews can use this
type of equipment.
information. Decide what information you are going to give to, for example, a fire crew and also at
what stage in the drill you will give it to them . In real emergencies situations can change from moment
to moment and those tackling them must be able to adapt when they receive new information.
access/ visibility. One obvious method for adding realism to a drill is to deny access to the normal
routes around the ship. In fire drills you may also wish to restrict the visibility of those taking part by
using masks or smoke machines. Note: doing this has obvious implications for safety and some
companies do not permit the use of smoke machines aboard their ships.
timing. Emergencies have a nasty habit of avoiding daylight hours. Moreover, people can quickly
become casual about drills if they are always held at 2.00 pm on nice sunny days! For added realism,
vary the times at which you hold your drills.
warning given. There are two decisions to be made . First, whether to give any warning at all of the
drill. Giving no warning creates the maximum realism, but often has unacceptable safety implications.
Second, if you are going to warn those taking part, you must decide how much notice to give them
and what to tell them.
11
-:ze=.
~F=======================================================================
Equipment required/status
The example in the video of a crew member attempting to free the lifeboat release mechanism with a
hammer is clearly unacceptable and will result in PSC Inspectors failing the ship . Equipment failures like this
can also result in accidents during drills, something which must be avoided at all costs.
Before running a drill, decide what equipment will be required and check that it is in satisfactory working order.
Make sure that drills sometimes involve the use of items of equipment, such as certain hoses, which are not in
everyday use.
(Drill briefing)
When you are briefing the crew members who will take part in a drill:
Explain the purpose of the drill. It is important to do this no matter how experienced the group are, since it
focuses everyone's attention on what they are trying to achieve and the standards wh ich you expect them to
display.
Remind them about the de-briefing discussion after the previous drill of this type. In particular:
what went well. Encourage them to build on their strengths.
what improvements are needed.
Stress the potential dangers involved in the drill and the safety precautions you expect them to take. Make
sure everyone understands the command they will receive if, ror any reason, the drill has to be stopped before
it is complete.
( Drill observation )
You will find a blank, two page Observation Sheet on Pages 16-17 of this guide. Use this to help you observe
drills systematically. It allows you to record :
The timescale
In an emergency, speed often makes the difference between success and disaster.
Scores
Assessing many of the important aspects of a drill, such as communication and teamwork, is difficult because
they cannot be 'measured' in the same way as you can record how long the drill takes. Giving these aspects a
score out of 10 will help you to turn your subjective impressions into firm judgements.
Comments
Once again, make sure that you record what went well in addition to any improvements needed.
The start
In the real emergencies which drills attempt to simulate, what happens in the first few minutes is often crucial .
The leader must take control, the team must pay attention and the necessary action has to begin without
delay. Though, as the PSC Inspector explained, they are not looking for military efficiency, some drills can fa il
almost before they begin because there is no sense of urgency or focus amongst the group taking part.
teamwork. Do crew members work together smoothly or do they look like a group of unco-ordinated
individuals? Look for examples of people helping one another without being asked.
team flexibility. Is there evidence that team members are able to do more than one job? If you have
pulled key individuals out of the team, how well are the others coping?
12
communication . Do those taking part g ive inf ormation and instruct ions clearly and calm ly? Do they
listen to one another? Do they watch what is going on around t hem and reac t app rop riately?
reaction to the unexpected. How wel l do they adapt to unforeseen circumstances, such as fi nding that
normal routes about the shi p are b locked?
use of equipment. Do tea m mem bers use the necessary equip men t qu ickly and correctly? Are they using
safe and proper techniques, u nl ike the example quoted in the video of crew members attempting to jump
a 4 foot (1 .2m) gap into a lifeboat?
(De-briefing)
Drills are not train ing, but they are important opportunities fo r learning . To make them as effective as possible:
Prepare
Go throug h the notes you have made and highlight the po ints you want to stress. Try to avoid giving too
much feed back. It is m uch better to make three points than thirty.
Start a discussion
People are m uch mo re likely to th ink about what happened when they have to answer a question, rather than
simply listen to a statemen t. Th is implies that you should ......... .
Be honest
No-one wi ll thank you for telling them they did we ll when that isn 't true . And it is always better to identify
any shortcom ings after a drill than after a real emergency. When discussing wha t needs to be improved it is
particularly important to .. .......
Be descriptive
The purpose of tra ining and of learning from drills is to improve people's performance by encou rag ing them
to change their behaviour. You cannot change thei r persona lities. So, if you are not satisfied with the
precautions taken before attempting a rescue from an enclosed space, don 't say 'You ' re a care less bunch'
w hen what yo u mea n is 'The individual wearing the b reath ing apparatus didn't put it on properly and the
team leader didn't check him before he entered the hold'.
Be constructive
Make sure everyone goes away from the de-briefing feeling positive about it. Even if it did not go we ll, they
must at least know what to do next time to make it better. Give them the obvious incentive. Remind them
that ' next time' may not be a dril l. It may be a real emergency.
13
make sure that fire crews can handle fires which start in less
obvious places.
14
I Date
Drill type
Location/Description
Review of previous
drill
Improvements required
Personnel taking
part
Drill details
Safety points
Realism
leadership (who?
vary during drill?)
equipment use
(actual? simulated?)
information (what?
at what stage?)
access/visibility
(close entrances?
use smoke m/es?)
Timing
Warning given
Equipment
reqd./status
Description
Checked
lS
Start
I Finish
I Elapsed time
Start
Speed. Did
t1le drill get
underway
quickly?
Leadership.
Did tlte
leader take
control
quickly and
effectively?
The team.
Did tltey pay
attention to
t1le leader
and begin to
take action
without
delay?
End
The leader.
Did the
leader puB
tile leanl
together at
the end of
the drill?
Outcomes.
Did tile drill
achieve its
objectives?
Score (1-10)
Teamwork. How
weU did tJle team
work together?
Team nexibility.
Were team
members able to
do more tJlaI1 one
job?
Communication.
How well did
team members
communicate with
one another?
Reaction to
unexpected. How
well did the team
react to, for
example. blocked
access routes?
Use of
equipmenti
techniques etc.
How well did the
team use tJleir
equipment? Did
they use proper
teclmiques?
17
Score (1-10)
I~~------------~--"~--.
- - - - -=-=-= =-= = -=-~~=::::::~~~!!!!!!!!!!!!II!!!!!!!!!'!!!!!!!'!!!!!!!'!!!!--'"
=
Week
J
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
II
12
I"'/Q
14
15
16
17
B
C
D
B
C
B
18
19
B
C
B
20
21
22
B
24
2S
2~1I/0
27
28
29
B
C
D
]0
31
32
33
34
35
:'1
38
3rd /Q
l:
B
C
C
36
II
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
41h/Q
Sol Drill
Boat &. Fire
Boat &. Fire
Boat &. Fire
Boat &. Fire
Boat &. Fire
Boat &. Fire
Boot &. Fire
Boat &. Fire
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Boat &. Fire
Boat &. Fire
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Sol Estru
EMERGENCY
STEERING DRILL
(12.3)
ABANDON SHIP
MAN OVERBOARD
:l
2
(19106)
6
2
1
I
EMERGENCY
STEERING DRrt.L
(17/07)
7
4
5
6
7
8
1
ABANDON SHIP
MAN OVERBOARD
(22-23107)
STRESS AND
STABILITY
(0410~)
8
2
7
3
6
R
1'ltiLL FAILURE
(18107)
CORROSIVE
CARUO LEAK
TO DOUBLE
H01TOM
EMERGENCY STEERING
DRILL
I)A~IAGE
ABANDON SHIP
MAN OVERBOARD
CRITlCAL
EQUIPMENT
fAlLllRE
I'I I ~I PR()()~I
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TANK
EMERGENCY STEERING
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OVERFWW
( 18103)
BlfNKl.R H()SE BURST
EMERGENCY
CARGO
nANSfER
HEATED CARGll
BURST 1I0SE
ABANDON SHIP
MAN OVERBOARD
fIRE/EXPLOSION
Boat Drills
A=
B=
C=
D=
Bl
Fire Drills
1= Fire on deck
2= Fire at manifold
3= Fire i.l1 galley
4= Fire in accommodation
5=
6=
7=
8=
~teering
I
I
i
I
I
18
(ASSESSMENT QUESTIONS)
1. Indicate whether the following statements are true (T) or false (F):
T/F
T/F
T/F
TIF
T/F
T/ D
TID
c) The purpose is to help crew members learn how to cope with emergencies.
T/D
d) It doesn 't matter if we don't do it properly, so long as we learn from our mistakes.
TID
TID
f) Once the activity is over we discuss what went well and w hat needs to be improved .
TID
TID
YIN
YIN
Y/ N
4. How many members of a lifeboat crew must know how to start the engine?
a) 1
b) 3
c) 4
d) All of them
5 Here is a series of 6 statements about the use of different types of fire extinguisher.
List 1
List 2
3. . .. liquid fires
6 Answer true (T) or false (F) to the following statements. Can Port State Control Inspectors ...
a) ... decide who wi ll take part in a drill?
T/ F
b) ... pull someone out of a drill to simulate injury?
T/ F
T/F
T/F
19
I
--- -
TfF
TfF
TfF
TfF
T/F
Tf F
T/F
Tf F
8 By law every crew member must take part in at least one abandon ship and one fire drill ...... .
a) Every week?
b) Every month
c) Every voyage?
(ASSESSMENT_ANSWERS)
Indicate whether the following statements are true or false We hold drills because ..... .
a) False
b) True
c) True
d) True
e) False
2 Indicate whether the following statements describe training sessions or drills or both
a) Drill
b) Drill
c) Training
d) Train ing
e) Drill
f) Training and Drill
a)No
b) Yes
c) No
4 How many members of a lifeboat crew must know how to start the engine?
d) All of them
5 Here is a series of 6 statements about the use of different types of fire extinguisher. Match the beginnings (List
1) and ends (List 2) correctly
a) 2
b) 3
c) 4
d) 1
e) 6
f) 5
d) T
e) T
f) F
a) T
g) T
b) T
h) T
c) F
a) F
b) T
c) F
d) F
8 By law every crew member must take part in at least one abandon ship and one fire drill .. .... .
b)
20
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