Training Saves Lives During USS George Washington Fire

PACIFIC (May 2008 FILE PHOTO) Crew members aboard USS George Washington (CVN 73) conduct comprehensive firefighting efforts to extinguish a fire that spread to several spaces via cableways, creating extreme heat and smoke. The crew was able to contain the fire while limiting shipboard damage and preventing any serious injuries to the crew. The cause of the fire and the extent of the damage are currently under investigation as the ship continues on course for San Diego. U.S. Navy photo (Released)

News in Balance:

USS GEORGE WASHINGTON, At Sea, May 27, 2008 -- Firefighting training was put to the test on USS George Washington (CVN 73)(GW) when fires broke out on the ship the morning of May 22, trapping four Sailors for more than four hours and causing damage to various departments in the area of the blaze.

Almost immediately, the crew went to "General Quarters" a state of alert in which everyone has a defined role to protect the ship in an emergency situation.
Engineering Department's Senior Chief Damage Controlman(SW/AW) Dwight Hill discussed the value of the training the crew receive to protect the ship in such an incident.

"Instinct took over, our training kicked in, everything was done expeditiously," said Hill. "All that went through my mind were my Sailors that were trapped, making sure they knew we were trying. That was my motivating factor."

Extensive efforts were involved to rescue the four Sailors in question, including maintaining communication.

Electrician's Mate Fireman Jase Exum, one of the four Sailors trapped, said the lack of communication in the beginning is what scared him the most.

"I tried to use the sound-powered telephones, but I could not tell if anyone was hearing me," he said. "When the captain got on the 1MC (shipwide announcing system), it was a relief, knowing they knew we were still alive, and they were still out there trying to get to us."

Exum said that the training he had received helped him to remain calm.

"I really did not know what was going to happen, but I was the only one of the four of us that were trapped to go to Damage Control school," Exum said. "I explained what was happening around us, why they lit off fire extinguishing agents to keep us safe. I was trained as a Damage Controlman and I was really glad that I was because that knowledge kept me calm. We could have put ourselves in a lot worse danger if I didn't know certain things -- should we go now, should we wait, should we try to make it up on our own."

The word "shipmate" was used and remembered throughout the day.

"For the first time in twenty years, I didn't think of my family back home," said Hill. "It was the first time my thoughts were not on my wife and kids. My mind was on my family on the ship, my shipmates stuck in the spaces below.

"I have the responsibility of training these guys to respond to a real casualty and I didn't realize how it set in until I saw what I saw today. I was proud of my shipmates, knowing what we have learned, knowing what we have put to use saved the lives of our Sailors. Those trapped Sailors didn't work for me, but they are a part of me, and that is what kept me going," he said.

"Honor, that's all I can say, it's just the feeling that I felt," concluded Hill. "If you look around, the crew knew they were doing a job and making this place honorable."

GW's Command Master Chief (AW/SW) Jeffrey R. Clark, Sr. also described what he witnessed of his crew that day.

"The training kicked in," Clark said. "They were able to sustain a significant amount of stress and their performance showed it. We got our lockers together, and made plans."

"We train for something like this, but you can never really mentally prepare for something like this," he continued. "When we found that we had four Sailors trapped, we knew we needed to get down there as a rescue effort, vice fire-combating effort."

"My Sailors are my number one concern," added Clark. "Taking care of them, making sure their needs are met, that they have a place to sleep, that they have food to eat. The big picture is not the focus right now, it's taking care of each Sailor, so they can do their job and we can work together to get the ship ready to do it's job again."

(Story by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Riza Caparros, USS George Washington Public Affairs.)

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