Harry Haugeto, Director of Operations
July 05, 2018
On May 23, 2018, a PT inspection rag down in the forward compartment bilge of a submarine in Building 260 caught fire when a spark from welding escaped the containment. Workers in the area smelled smoke and responded. One worker yelled, “FIRE!!! FIRE!!! FIRE!!!” pulled the game well switch on the CASCON unit and stayed in touch with emergency services. The other worker took the nearest fire extinguisher and put the fire out. Fortunately, no one was injured and no shipboard damage was done because the fire was extinguished in the incipient phase.
On June 18, 2018, a simulated fire in the engine space of the very same submarine was initiated. Trades personnel walked by the simulated firebox and had to be prompted by the drill monitor to initiate the response and actions. The tradesperson also needed prompting on how to pull the game well switch on the CASCON unit, how to use the CO2 extinguisher and how to lay it down. When the simulated fire did not go out, the tradesperson did not yell “FIRE!!! FIRE!!! FIRE!!!” to surrounding personnel in the area as he left the compartment. After debriefing this drill, it is clear we need to do a better job to prepare the workforce to be alert and respond to a casualty.
Let’s rewind the clock back six years. On May 23, 2012, a fire was called away in the forward compartment of the USS Miami while in dry dock up at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. The fire was not caught at the incipient phase (it was later determined to be arson) and continued to grow and become more dangerous. The fire could not be contained by the shipyard fire department and aid from places as far away as Boston and the New London Subase responded. If it were not for the very heroic efforts of the firefighters, the ship would have been lost. In fact, contingency plans were in place to flood the dry dock. Seven firefighters were injured, but fortunately, there were no fatalities. Efforts were put in place to restore the ship, but when the estimate climbed over $450 million in August of 2013, it was decided to stop the efforts and decommission her.
Since January 2014, over 1,500 employees have started their careers in Groton Operations. The shock, horror, and devastation of the USS Miami might not be in their ‘Shipyard DNA.’ We have outstanding instructors who train the workforce on how to respond to a shipboard fire, and we cannot afford to have a casualty or major damage to a submarine in order to have this information sink in. We all need to remain vigilant. As you start your task shipboard, know where the nearest CASCON unit is and your muster point. If you are doing hot work, make sure you assess your surroundings and meet the requirements before producing a spark. At the end of your shift, clean up your area. If something fell into the bilge, take the time to retrieve it. Doing these little things will go a long way in preventing a fire and keeping us all safe.
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