DC Stations, Section 3, Complex Damage Control Tip 001: Complex Damage Control Overview

Transcription

1 DC Stations, Section 3, Complex Damage Control Tip 001: Complex Damage Control Overview When one considers the term control, it is obvious that containment of damage is the primary consideration. Damage control in this context relates to measures to insure that small fires do not develop into conflagrations, that flooding is contained to localized areas, and that structural damage is minimized by appropriate and timely action so that critical structural overloading is prevented. With large scale damage it will be necessary to set Casualty Boundaries to contain the wide spread damage and work those boundaries in towards the center of damage as progress is made and reports of containment are made. Conventional damage control techniques may not be practical and complete isolation or segregation will be needed. Piping may need to be cut and crimped off or cables disconnected from sources in order to restore certain vital equipment and systems, entire compartments may need to be secured because damage is too large to overcome by shipboard personnel, personnel maybe trapped and repair teams may need to be re-organized due to loss of personnel. A major conflagration is damage of a magnitude that cannot be readily handled by the conventional DC organization; therefore, ALL HANDS participation is required to save the ship. A major conflagration may also involve mass personnel casualties. It is imperative that command, control and communications be established and maintained to effectively coordinate DC actions over a prolonged period of time. The inflicted damage must be brought under control immediately and simultaneously; combat systems must be kept in or returned to a state of battle readiness. Planning for major conflagration responses must include assessment of all potential threats. The particular types of threats to be expected in the ships area of operations will vary from minefields to small craft to a full combatant force, and may include oceanographic and meteorological factors. Preparation for survival in a battle situation is dependent upon maintenance of the ship s design capability and training of personnel. This training must focus on ship s systems and the procedures necessary to resist or control the spread of damage, continue to provide services to war fighting capabilities, and to make essential repairs to support the ship s mission. Thinking out of the box will be critical to survival during a complex damage control scenario. Threats to most surface warships can be classified by two weapons systems: air or underwater delivered weapons. Primary air-delivered weapons include anti-ship missiles of various sizes, projectiles, and airdelivered bombs. Primary underwater weapons include torpedoes and mines. As events in the Arabian Gulf have demonstrated, the mine threat and its damage potential are very real. More recent casualties such as collisions and attacks such as those delivered by small crafts loaded with explosives can deliver extremely severe and lethal damage. The photos below show you a glimpse of real damage sustained to U.S. Navy ships and the severity encountered which would require ALL HANDS efforts and OUT OF THE BOX thinking to contain and control complex casualties. Lessons learned from these past casualties where damage was large scale and personnel casualties were high such as the missile attack onboard USS STARK, the small boat attack on the USS COLE, and the flight deck crash on the USS FORRESTAL show us how complex casualties and out of the box thinking can save the ship. Large scale damage can also occur without loss of life or injured such as the collision involving the USS PORTER with an oil tanker. Large scale casualties can bring the unexpected and in

2 most complex damage control scenarios there will be the loss of life and the ability of the crew to continue to fight with the emotional stress. USS FORRESTAL (CVA-59) Fire, 135 fatalities and hundreds more injured USS STARK (FFG-31) Attack, 37 fatalities and 21 others injured including two lost at sea USS COLE (DDG-67) Attack, 17 fatalities and 39 injured USS PORTER (DDG-78) Collision, no fatalities or injured During large scale damage such as explosions, main and auxiliary machinery as well as generators can be knocked off line from the shock to equipment and sensory controls. It is critical to bring power back up immediately when this happens as to provide for critical services in defense of the ship and damage control

3 survival. Serious damage to main machinery components are considered non-restorable; efforts to bring machinery systems back into operation under an automated system will be limited to system realignment, rigging of emergency power and the elimination of piping leaks or ruptures to machinery components. Portable damage control pumps and generators may be needed to provided fire fighting water or limited power for radios, string lighting or recharging of batteries for items like radios and rechargeable lights. Keep in mind that there may be a similar generator onboard for force protection that can also be very useful during this time. During major casualties you can expect some of the following; Loss of propulsion Loss of electrical power (complete or isolated) Loss of firemain Loss of air conditioning Loss of Lighting Loss of communications Loss of damage control equipment, systems or spaces Major fires melting aluminum and extreme heat of internal compartments Thick black smoke and/or rapid smoke spread moving through multiple compartments openings and ventilation Decks with floor debris and slippery surfaces Major flooding Progressive flooding through opening, false deck, ventilation duct, scuppers, drains, etc Complete loss of spaces, access and passages Marine environments effects salt spay, rapid rust Extreme heat and smoke forcing abandonment of interior portions of the ship Trapped personnel Dehydration of personnel Loss of hotel services, restrooms, and eating facilities Loss of key personnel (injured, incapacitated or deceased) Personnel Trauma (shock from overwhelming circumstances, death of shipmates, charred bodies, dismembered bodies) Hypothermia (cold weather operations and flooding) Overwhelming structural, piping, and cable damage Structural sounds such as creaking and screeching Fires. It is critical that once smoke is detected that it is contained and the source identified. Smoke can travel quickly throughout a ship and force the abandonment of many spaces. There are limited breathing sources available onboard and SCBA recharging will be extremely important where there are large scale fires to keep up with the demand of air and rotation of personnel. It must be set-up quickly and SCBA cylinder recharging must commence as soon as possible. It is even more critical if ships power is lost and the installed breathing air system is compromised. The portable EBAC will need to be set-up and operated immediately keeping in mind refueling options.

4 Extinguishment of large scale fires will undoubtedly require great quantities of firefighting water causing increased concern for dewatering to maintain ships stability especially in topside compartments. It is critical to have a relief station setup and plenty of fluids on hand especially water for hydration. Normally the supply officer will coordinate with the DCA for what is needed and locations. Flooding. Flooding must be controlled quickly to prevent progressive flooding into other spaces. Where major damage has been sustained at or near the waterline it may be necessary to abandon those spaces and secure them. Large holes in the hull from collisions, mines or explosions will not be able to be combatted due to sheer size. Secure the space(s), set boundaries and monitor surrounding structural members for weakness, shore if necessary. Keep in mind that in extreme cold environments the water temperature will significantly limit time that individuals will be able to effectively perform in when combatting flooding. Ensure rotation of personnel and monitor for hypothermia. Utilize the hypothermia temp charts if available. One part of flooding that is not trained or even considered is that a contact mine which will result in hull damage and flooding (possibly progressive flooding) may also inject toxic smoke into the ship. This has now become a Gas Free evolution; however, dewatering, pipe patching, shoring, and structural repair or some combination thereof will be required to happen simultaneously. Fighting a fire in an SCBA has become second nature, however, conducting a pipe patching or plugging evolution in the overhead while standing on a rack is not. Desmoking during flooding is not practiced but given the circumstance above you can see that GFE operations will have to take place. Time. Complex damage control casualties are rarely trained for in real time, meaning that ships who exercise a major conflagration scenario will do so at expedited time. During major damage, casualties will take numerous hours to days to combat, personnel outside of the repair teams will be required and physical exhaustion to the crew can be expected. History has shown that when major damage occurs a ship might expect to be totally selfsufficient for up to 96 hours. This means that ship s crew is the last line of defense for the survival of the ship. Inport overseas or underway outside the battle group crewmembers must rely on the damage control organization to provide the guidance, direction, and leadership required that provides the ship with positive results when combating such disasters. Equipment. In addition to the normally used damage control equipment for casualties and drills there is other specialized equipment onboard that can aid when complex and severe damage is sustained. The majority of this equipment is in limited quantities and stowed in select areas of the ship. Personnel should become familiar with the locations of this equipment since it may not be stowed with the DCRS area of responsibility they are assigned too. Some of this equipment having its own unique qualities, limitation and application procedures is listed as follows: Portable Hydraulic Access and Rescue System (PHARS) Portable Electric-Powered All-Purpose and Rescue Set (PEARS) (replacement to PHARS) Portable Exothermic Cutting Units (emergency access and cutting) Mister/Multipier (Water-Driven Fan attachment for cooling or increased smoke removal) Emergency Breathing Air Compressor (EBAC) Portable Pumps P-100 Quick Step Ladders (folding ladders for access) Pipe Jumper Hose Kit

5 Light Streamer DC (50ft string light) Portable DC Generator (5.5KW, 115VAC x 4 outlets) (there is also a similar generator onboard as part of the force protection equipment that is also available if needed) Out of the Box Thinking. While all equipment provided onboard is designed for a certain purpose, in complex scenarios this equipment can be used in other ways to assist in combatting the casualty. Some examples are provided below; Ventilation Trucks (used as troughs for dewatering or directing flow of water) Smoke Blankets (awning to shield from weather, barrier for large holes block contaminants) Quick step ladder (used as small bridge to cover holes for passage) Personnel. DCRS s have assigned billets and other divisions provide personnel to fill those positions. Many times these billets will change and new personnel will fill them, which of course, requires that person to be trained for their role in the damage control organization. This vicious cycle repeats itself on a regular basis. However it also provides a pool of personnel that while not directly assigned to the DCRS may be called upon in a major incident to provide assistance. Knowing not only the DCRS personnel and qualifications but those of each division and which ones are ESWS may help when disaster strikes. Other considerations include: Loss of assigned personnel. If the incident includes major damage to engineering equipment it may be necessary for DCRS engineering personnel to revert back into their division to get equipment back online. While survival of the ship is paramount, getting mobility back may be critical for that survival. Remember mass casualties will reduce all GQ station personnel not just the DCRS. Be prepared to lose key members. Impaired to incapacitated personnel. During a major event be prepared to lose personnel that mentally cannot cope with the situation. Interviews with command in control personnel after a major incident have revealed a startling condition that may occur; not all personnel are mentally or emotionally prepared to witness casualties, fatalities, and/or massive destruction to their once stable home. These personnel, which is not discriminating against male or female, enlisted or officer communities, will mentally shut down and incapable of providing damage control assistance at a critical time. Do not hesitate to remove them from your teams. Guidance and encouragement may help to build these individuals back to a productive DC team member, however, trying to force an individual to perform their, in many cases collateral duties will result in poor performance and complete break-down of damage control response. This is where the term cross training will be a critical factor. Many times you may have to rely on a small band of key personnel than a fully manned repair organization. Pause for the cause. When a situation is critical many of us will dive completely head first and all out to combat and save the ship. This is the nature of some damage control personnel, however, it may also put blinders on you. Leadership positions in DC call for those individuals to access the entire situation and not just a single event. For example; given that a fire has erupted due to a blast; this is the single result of a condition not the complete situation. Fire spread (vertically most importantly), smoke spread, fire boundaries, casualties, hidden damage, possible flooding, and personnel are contributing factors. Remember the chief in the Forrestal fire, the moment the first bomb exploded he rushed to the aircraft with a portable extinguisher. o Was he the fire team leader? o Was a portable extinguisher the best response? o Could he have organized an attack team sooner to combat the situation?

6 These and many more questions will never be answered but the question to you is are you ready for a situation and respond to it as a whole or attack just one aspect of the whole? Team (assets outside DC). How did the USS Cole get HP Air to the last generator when all the air flasks were empty? The ship was without any power and vulnerable to damage spread and most importantly to the outside world. No one individual was responsible for overcoming this enormous feat, it took the combination of other divisional personnel. While reviewing the situation in CCS other (non-dc) personnel entered and offered assistance. While thinking outside the box it was devised to join two (2) EBAC s together and connect their output in to the gauge line of the aft air flask bank. This took special fittings not carried in the DC inventory and not even in engineering department. Sonar had these fittings that were used for dome pressure or testing. The end result was Cole personnel got their power back to their ship. Had they not gathered in CCS and discussed all options and possible configurations but that other divisions had the insight to offer help and equipment not associated with damage control. Hydration and rest. As mentioned before hydration is extremely important and will influence the productivity and capability of all personnel. Forcing fluids on personnel is a must. Even personnel that are not in a recuperation period should be hydrating as much as possible because they may be called on at any moment to perform any and all tasks. Normal hotel services will be distrupted such as chill water to the A/C, potable water, power to the water coolers (which even if water is available it will be hot and personnel less likely to consume), and ventilation. If the ship is in a hot climate like the gulf all of these factors will be amplified by the heat and heat stress casualties will result. Rest can be divided into two parts. 1. The rest required for a team or team member to take after a large exertion or energy such as combating a fire. While this firefighting may have only been 10 or 15 minutes it has taken a lot from those personnel. Rest and hydration in a cool environment will provide the recharge they require if their services are required again. Remember too that their productivity will be reduced by sometimes as much as half even after this rest period. Each time an individual rotates into a combatant role their capability has dropped. Rotating as many other personnel is highly recommended. 2. Rest after many hours or even days. An incident may have periods of lull where it appears that the situation is under control. Get as many personnel including leadership roles to take advantage of this lull. The situation may also dictate that rest occur even while the incident is at a heighten level. Staying awake and making critical decisions past 48 hours or more hampers the cognitive ability in all levels of the damage control organization. Rescue and Assistance. Responding to an incident on another ship in itself is a challenge. If the crippled ship is a different class, where in the damage control response is the ship, and qualification level of the responding vessel. While it can be stated that these situation should not be a factor and help is better than no help, you also have to put yourself in the shoes of the host vessel. Their DC organization may be giving it all they have and feel they are gaining the upper hand, any outside assistance may have the appearances that they are not able to defend their ship. They may be in denial state about the situation and not think they need assistance at all. But probably one of the most outside influences will be that they do not know the level of knowledge and experience of those who are coming to assist them.