WANTED: DAMAGE CONTROL EQUIPMENT
To supply the fleet with such everyday damage control equipment as used by shoreside fire departments would cost millions of dollars—well beyond Tassuig’s department’s meager budget allowance.

Tassuig made his dilemma known to Congress and attracted the support of Representatives Duke Cunningham, Curt Weldon and Duncan Hunter. Congress made available no less than $60 million to be directed to the Navy for the purpose of purchasing commercial off the shelf (COTS) damage control and fire fighting equipment. Now some 10 years ago, this has resulted in the casualty and property damage to Navy ship being diminished by 500% (see chart).

THE U.S. ARMY ADOPTS SOLAS STANDARDS FOR FF EQUIPMENT
The U.S. Army has one of largest “navies” in the world with over 80 watercraft and deep sea ships plus, a myriad of dredges, transportable docks and leases heavy lift FLO/FLO ships, such as the American Cormorant. Although AWC trains
its military personal at U.S. Navy Fleet Training Group, watercraft fire fighting doctrine did not always follow Navy doctrine and the fleet of craft lagged behind in safety and survivability for years. While these days, navies are starting to build ships to class.

But U.S. Army Watercraft (AWC) did and set its fire fighting equipment standards to SOLAS and annual hull surveys to that of the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS). Effective February 7, 2002, Army Regulation 56-9 “Summary of Change” came into force specifying the above. This lead to the AWC auditing its old fashion fire fighting equipment, some of which would have not worked nor supplied A-FFF in an incident such as the USS Stark fire because of reduced water pressure and the new P-100 fire pumps inability to produce sufficient water pressure for the inline eductors. ABS Type Approved equipment of this class and to SOLAS and ABS Rules, would fulfill the requirement. But, the problem with SOLAS is not new rules but enforcement of the exisiting rules. AWC retains in its inventory, old fashion portable A-FFF portable foam applicators (NSN 4219-00-225-6625) that do not meet the minimum requirement of the new SOLAS and Fire Safety Code Rules, which came into force on July 1, 2002.

UNSECNAV VICTIM OF BUDGET AX
When Capt. Joe Tassuig retired many years ago, Directors Dick Healing and Fred Crowson picked up where he had left off. Taussig had his own “sea dog” way of doing things and this irked the bureaucrats and NAVSEA’s Damage Control and Fire Protection Dept (05P4). Crowson, on the other hand, who formerly worked for NAVSEA, played within NAVSEA guidelines for approving equipment. Before any new equipment was sent to the fleet, a full “live burn” test assessment, and doctrinal validation was performed, resulting in a complete set of shipboard manuals (ILS Package) that would shortly follow the then fielded equipment.
Last year, however, the UNSECNAV Dept. of Safety & Survivability (S&S) was closed due to a budget shortfall. The department was responsible for successfully fielding to the fleet the Ram Fan, SCBA, Man Overboard Indication (MOBI), Helicopter Emergency Escape Device (HEED) and other equipment.

That equipment now falls under the responsibility of a NAVSEA Program Executive Officer.

Shockingly, without the backing of UNSECNAV, there is about $1 million worth of new approved A-FFF fire fighting equipment, paid for by the tax payer, being stored in a contracted NAVSEA warehouse, gathering dust. The ones who suffer are our Damage Control sailors, who requested the equipment in the first place. Shouldn’t we give them the equipment they need?