Cadets get sweaty and soaked at Galiano

Cadets on the Boatswain Mate Course gather together in the Flood Room for a group photo.

S/SLt Nathan Wong, HMCS Quadra

Thirty-eight Boatswain Mate Course Cadets from HMCS Quadra Cadet Training Centre participated in a firefighting and flooding introduction at Damage Control Training Facility (DCTF) Galiano, part of CFB Esquimalt, on July 21.

The purpose of the training was to familiarize the cadets with basic damage control techniques, so they can respond to critical situations as a crew on board a ship.

“We were filled with excitement to be there, and to work with our division.  We got so much closer as a team while learning new skills,” says course cadet Tyler Reynolds, 17.

In the firefighting portion, cadets learned about the basic sciences of a fire, and the different classes of fires. They had the op­portunity to watch a demonstration of the various types of extinguishers, and took turns extinguishing a fire.

Cadets were also placed in a burn room (a mock-up sleeping quarter on a naval vessel), and then the instructors turned on the fire, which spread rapidly around the room. In the burn room, cadets practiced using thermal imaging cameras, which can easily detect casualties and hot spots in complete darkness.

“With the fire training, we really needed to exercise our communication skills to work together,” says Reynolds.

Afterwards, cadets learned various fire hose handling techniques, and had fun in a Fire Hose Olympics, which involved knocking down pieces of wood and filling a bucket with the fire hose.

In the flood portion, cadets learned how to prevent water from entering the ship. The goal is to reduce the rate of water flowing into the ship so it is manageable by the ship’s pumping systems. Cadets were shown ways to plug holes, reinforce broken doors and hatches, and practiced stopping a leak in a high pressure pipe.

Then cadets were placed in a flood tank, which is a full mock-up room on board a ship, complete with holes and damaged bulkhead where water flows in with the turn of a lever in the control room. Cadets then tried to use available material to stop the leaks.

“I really liked being in the flood tank and we learned how to deal with emergencies on the ship, and learned how to plug holes,” says course cadet Anna Li, 15. “There was a lot of water splashing around and it was an unforgettable experience.”

To act as the Boatswain Mate, these cadets must know how to ensure safety and respond wisely in case of emergencies, such as fires and flooding, the most dangerous emergencies a ship can experience at sea. These skills are all applicable on the Patrol Craft Training (PCT) vessels, which they get a unique opportunity to spend nine days on this summer.

Riley O’Rourke and Anna Li work with their team to fix a simulated leaking pipe.