Oh internet, why can you be so hard to find sometimes....
Sorry 'bout the time-delay but I've finally hunted down a spot where I can sit, read my blogs, and update myself with my usual internet shenanegans.
This week I began my Basic Safety Training Course at the
S.T.A.R. Center outside of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. There are 14 people in my class, from all walks of life. As one would imagine, I completely assumed it was going to be a HUGELY male dominated field (read: my parents and I already started calling the ship the S.S. Jimmy Dean, a.k.a. the Floating Sausage-fest). However, about 5 minutes before the course was to begin, in walked 5 attractive twenty-something girls all training to be the entertainment on a British cruise line. Not bad eh!? Well, suffice it to say, after the most honest double take I've ever had in my entire life, I was pretty sure the week would go smoothly.
Day 1: Honestly, one of the coolest experiences of my life. [note: picture to the left may be an artistic rendering of me... unfortunately no one there was that good of a photographer =P ]
The day began with a morning full of dry, relevant, but (lets be honest) boring information regarding Fire Safety. We were taught the classifications of all the various fire types (Ex: Class A = Anything that leaves an ash once it's burned, Class B = Flammable Liquids...etc), and the basic logic of what to use to extinguish each type. We broke for lunch 'round 11:30, and were told to meet at the front of the building at 1:00pm for a field trip. We had little information about where we were headed, but were well aware that it involved some sort of drilling the information we had just learned.
We arrived at a huge facility set up to mimic the top three floors of a cruise ship. On deck however, instead of chairs, umbrellas, and luxury amenities, a large fake helicopter sat in a giant pool. This was no ordinary pool. It was approximately 1 ft deep, and designed to produce MONSTER flames exactly as one would find in a catastrophic JP5 jet fuel fire. For the day we were outfitted with FULL firefighter gear (thermal-suits, boots, hair / face coverings, helmet, mask, oxygen tank, regulator...etc) and taught how to battle all types of fires, use high pressure fire hoses, and perform search and rescue operations in dark, low oxygen, smoke-filled environments. The day ended with a fantastic demonstration of a fire's intensity by sealing all 14 of us in a chamber with a roaring bonfire. As the fire rapidly increased the temperature of the room, we watched the room fill COMPLETELY with smoke, the fire choke all of the oxygen out of the chamber, and flames crawl across the ceiling. Ambient temperature topped out at 250F, and the radiant heat off the now 1200F fire was incredible. Short bursts of water were then sprayed into the superheated gas layer closest to the ceiling, and the room FILLED with steam instantly. Our instructor then directed a series of sprays at various sections of the fire, and instructed us to find our way out of the blackness to the opening of the structure.
All in all I developed a HUGE respect for firemen (and women... of course). I could not believe how surreal it was to use an oxygen tank for the first time in that kind of environment. It was an incredibly educational day, and I've gotta say, it felt pretty bad ass to put all the (seemingly) BORING theory to practice. If this ship thing works out for a while, who knows, maybe i'll join the fire response team!
Day 2: More Fire Theory.... tests tests tests
Day 3: CPR
Lemme tell you something. I learned basic CPR in high school. Find the victim, check responsiveness, listen for breathing, watch the rise (or not) of the chest, check for obstructions... blah blah blah. Well, apparently all that was too much for people to actually remember, so they've decided to shorten it! I was shocked! Would YOU want some lazy bastard to do the new ABBREVIATED version if you were keeled over on the floor!?!? I sure as hell wouldn't! Gimme the full treatment, all the bells and whistles!
Well, I'll climb off my soap box now. I'm sure 98% of the people won't die...
On the upside I can use a Automated Defibrillator now.
CLEAR!!!!!!!!
Day 4: Seawater Survival
Cool concept, but lay off the videos! Honestly, If i never saw another horribly dated instructional video, I wouldn't be upset. I did however, learn about the new seawater activated radio beacons and RADAR reflectors. LOTS of crazy acronyms, and rapid descent, free fall life boats. Check em out, they're pretty damn cool.
Day 5: Survival Practical
Tomorrow we'll be learning to inflate our clothing, deploy life rafts, don rescue suits, and all kinds of other whacky water survival techniques.
It's been a fun week and I can't believe it's over....
Also, I should probably mention to you all that I've had the pleasure of doing this course with my new ship's Cruise Director and Head Sommelier (both great guys). They've given me a TON of info on the in's and out's of working on ships and I'm sure will ease my transition on board dramatically.
Anywho, the weather's nice so we're gunna go sit out and enjoy a glass of beer or wine while we can.
Ciao from Florida!
p.s. I ship off on Saturday!
