Fishermen forget firefighting training in heat of boat fires: safety report

[five_alarm]

OTTAWA - Too many fishermen are forgetting their firefighting training when their boats catch fire, says the Transportation Safety Board of Canada. An investigation into a June 25, 2003, fire aboard the fishing vessel Silent Provider, off Nova Scotia, has found that the two crew members were trained in proper procedures but apparently forgot what to do in the heat of the moment. The pair correctly triggered a system that starved the engine-room fire of oxygen, but then failed to close hatches and doors to seal the area, allowing outside air to fan the flames. The crew eventually had to abandon ship and were rescued 90 minutes later clinging to the hull of their life-raft in Chedabucto Bay, between mainland Nova Scotia and Cape Breton.

Source: cnews.canoe.ca (http://www.firehall.com/refer.php?url=http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2004/04/25/436363-cp.html&linkid=570&parent=news(headlines)&)