Posted At: Thursday, October 06, 2011 3:49 PM Conversation: R 061857Z OCT 11 COMNAVSAFECEN AFLOAT SAFETY ADVISORY 6-11 - NAVY WORKING COMNAVSAFECEN NORFOLK VA Posted To: Code 31 B Subject: R 061857Z OCT 11 COMNAVSAFECEN AFLOAT SAFETY ADVISORY 6-11 - NAVY WORKING COMNAVSAFECEN NORFOLK VA Importance: Low UNCLASSIFIED// RTTUZYUW RULYSUU0011 2791857-UUUU--RULYSUU. ZNR UUUUU R 061857Z OCT 11 ZYB FM COMNAVSAFECEN NORFOLK VA TO AIG 6942 AIG 6943 USS SHAMAL USS TORNADO USS ZEPHYR INFO COMCMRON FIVE BT UNCLAS //N05100// SECINFO/U/-// MSGID/GENADMIN/COMNAVSAFECEN/30/OCT// SUBJ/COMNAVSAFECEN AFLOAT SAFETY ADVISORY 6-11 - NAVY WORKING /UNIFORM (NWU) WEAR FOR INITIAL DISCOVERY PERSONNEL AND RAPID /RESPONSE FIRE FIGHTING// REF/A/DESC:DOC/CNO/OCT2004// REF/B/DESC:DOC/NAVSEA/01JAN2010// REF/C/DESC:DOC/NAVSEA/30MAR2007// NARR/REF A IS NSTM 555 VOLUME 1 SURFACE SHIP FIREFIGHTING REV 13 S9086-S3-STM-010. REF B IS NSTM 077 PERSONNEL PROTECTION EQUIPMENT REV 06 S9086-CL-STM-010.// POC/TIM DEBELAK/LCDR/UNIT:NAVSAFECEN 31/NAME:NORFOLK /TEL:DSN:5643520 X7133/EMAIL:SAFE-AFLOAT@NAVY.MIL// GENTEXT/REMARKS/1. QUESTIONS HAVE ARISEN THROUGHOUT THE FLEET REGARDING WHETHER OR NOT THE NAVY WORKING UNIFORM (NWU) CAN BE WORN TO COMBAT A SHIPBOARD FIRE. FLEET FORCES COMMAND, TYPE COMMANDERS, AND COMNAVSEASYSCOM HAVE WORKED IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE NAVAL SAFETY CENTER AND AGREE WITH THE CONTENT AND RELEASE OF THIS MESSAGE. 2. SHIPBOARD FIRE FIGHTING PHILOSOPHIES HAVE NOT CHANGED BASED ON THE INTRODUCTION OF THE NWU. REF A DIRECTS A CREWMEMBER DISCOVERING A FIRE, OR THE RAPID RESPONSE TEAM, TO DECIDE WHETHER TO ATTACK THE FIRE OR TO START CONTAINMENT AND ISOLATION ACTIONS. IF THE FIRE IS SMALL AND APPEARS CAPABLE OF BEING CONTROLLED, THEN AN ATTACK ON THE FIRE WOULD BE REASONABLE AND CAN BE MADE BY PERSONNEL WITH LITTLE OR NO PROTECTION. 3. WHEN A FIRE BREAKS OUT ABOARD SHIP, TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE. THE SOONER AN EXTINGUISHING AGENT CAN BE APPLIED TO THE FIRE, THE MORE LIKELY IT IS THAT THE FIRE CAN BE EXTINGUISHED OR CONTAINED UNTIL A FULLY OUTFITTED ATTACK TEAM ARRIVES TO COMBAT THE FIRE, PREVENTING THE FIRE FROM BECOMING FULLY INVOLVED OR SPREADING TO ADJACENT COMPARTMENTS. IAW REFS A AND B, THE SCENE LEADER DETERMINES THE PROTECTIVE CLOTHING REQUIREMENTS FOR THE FIRE PARTY BASED ON AN ASSESSMENT OF CONDITIONS AT THE SCENE OF THE FIRE. 4. SUMMARY: THERE ARE NO UNIFORMS IN THE NAVY SEABAG DESIGNED FOR SUSTAINED FIRE FIGHTING; HOWEVER, THE URGENCY FOR IMMEDIATE RESPONSE DEMANDED BY A SHIPBOARD FIRE REQUIRES THAT A SAILOR WEARING THE NWU BE PREPARED TO ATTACK A NEWLY DISCOVERED FIRE IN ORDER TO EXTINGUISH THE FIRE OR PREVENT FIRE SPREAD. IN OTHER WORDS, INITIAL RESPONSE CAN BE IN THE NWU UNIFORM, AS THE INTENT FOR INITIAL RESPONSE IS TO IMMEDIATELY TAKE ACTION TO EXTINGUISH THE FIRE OR SET BOUNDARIES AND CONTAIN THE FIRE UNTIL RELIEVED BY A PROPERLY EQUIPPED FIRE PARTY.// BT #0011 NNNN UNCLASSIFIED// LASSITER.SCOTT.PHILLIP.1147860338