The North Shore has a new training facility aiming to get first responders ready for the “exceptionally dangerous” event of a fire aboard a commercial vessel.
The Seaspan Responder is a simulated tugboat constructed from shipping containers at the District of North Vancouver Fire and Rescue Service’s new headquarters, the Maplewood Fire and Rescue Centre.
Much like the mock-ups of residential and commercial buildings that fire crews run drills on, the Seaspan Responder is intended to mimic what crews might experience when trying to douse a blaze or rescue someone trapped aboard a vessel. That means confined spaces and intricate layouts over multiple storeys.
The three-storey simulator is roughly 17 meters long, 7.3 meters wide and 7.6 meters tall. Inside, there are interior burn chambers, including a simulated engine room and kitchen, stairways with hatches and other gas fire and smoke props.
Fire Chief Mike Danks said he was proud to be hosting the state-of-the-art piece of equipment at his department’s facility. The simulator will be put to work for quarterly training among all the partner agencies so, in the event of a marine fire, the response becomes like “muscle memory,” he said.
“That’s what it’s really about. We need to get those frequent touches,” he said. “So we all are familiar with the intricacies of dealing with a vessel that may be on fire, because a vessel is very different than a structure. There’s a lot of other considerations that we need to take into account … just understanding how to navigate through a ship and the different hatches that they have and the hazards to look out for.”
The $800,000 training simulator was funded by Seaspan, as part of the company’s commitment under Canada’s national shipbuilding strategy.
Seaspan has its own emergency response team trained to deal with any fire at the shipyards or aboard one of their many vessels on the water, but they also have a partnership with the North Shore’s three fire departments, the Vancouver Fire Department and the Royal Canadian Marine Search and Rescue so everyone is ready for an all-hands-on-deck emergency. Through that partnership, more than 120 regional firefighters have received training in shipboard firefighting.
“Seaspan Shipyards has a long history of supporting emergency services training and engagement initiatives, which is a critical component to improving the safety of marine workers, fire personnel and waterfront businesses,” said John McCarthy, CEO of Seaspan Shipyards.
