Commanding the response
A major machinery-space casualty
- Take command, raise the alarm and account for the team.
- Direct firefighting or damage control while protecting the essential services the ship needs.
- Coordinate with the master and bridge and manage the supply of power, steering and firefighting services.
- Stabilise, assess the damage, plan the recovery or the shore assistance, and record the event.
- Balance fighting the casualty against keeping the ship powered, steerable and able to respond.
- Manage the team under stress, rotating people out of heat and smoke and accounting for everyone.
- Know when to escalate, and in the last resort when to evacuate and seal the space for the fixed system.
- Prepare for the aftermath: the repairs, the reporting and the investigation.
WARNING — Power for the ship while fighting the casualty In most emergencies the engine room must keep supplying power, steering and firefighting services to the whole ship. The Chief balances fighting the casualty against keeping the ship alive and able to respond.
TIP — Command steadies a large team On a larger vessel the Chief leads a bigger engineering team through the emergency. Calm, clear, directing command — with people rotated and accounted for — keeps the team effective where panic would break it.