Life-saving appliances
- Liferafts and lifeboats, lifejackets, immersion suits, lifebuoys, the line-throwing appliance, EPIRB and SART — know their location, servicing intervals and use.
- Keep the LSA serviced in date (liferafts and hydrostatic release units have set service intervals) and ready for immediate use.
- Maintain the muster list, the LSA plan, and the launching arrangements, and drill the crew in their use.
- Check the equipment on rounds and after use, and record defects for correction.
Fire-fighting appliances
The Chief Mate maintains the portable and fixed fire-fighting systems, the detection system, the fire-fighting outfits and breathing apparatus, and the fire control plan, keeping all serviced and ready. Extinguishers are checked and in date, fixed systems and their releases understood, fire doors and dampers operable, and the crew drilled in the fire organisation. Readiness is the point: equipment that is out of date, blocked in, or that the crew cannot find in the dark, is no use when it matters.
WARNING — In date and ready, not just present Safety equipment that is out of service, obstructed, or that the crew cannot deploy quickly is worthless in an emergency. The Chief Mate keeps the LSA and FFA serviced, accessible and drilled, not merely aboard.
NOTE — Drills turn equipment into capability A liferaft, a fire pump or a breathing set is only as good as the crew's ability to use it under stress. Regular, realistic drills are what turn the equipment into a real capability.