Local Commercial Fishermen Receive Survival Training in Newport News
By: City of Newport News
| Imagine yourself in the ocean, working onboard a large fishing trawler 100 miles or more from land. What do you do when a catastrophe strikes? Fire, flooding, man overboard, sinking – these are just some of the disastrous incidents that can and do occur in one of the deadliest occupations. The key to surviving a sudden, unforeseen incident when you are bobbing around in the ocean and help may be hours away is preparedness. Last week, the city hosted a Safety and Survival Training event at Seafood Industrial Park and King-Lincoln Park. The city’s departments of Parks and Recreation and Development, as well as the Newport News Fire Department, collaborated with the Virginia Marine Resources Commission, the Virginia Port Authority’s Marine Incident Response Team, the United States Coast Guard, and Fishing Partnership Support Services to offer this multiagency, collaborative training. Over the course of two days, 42 local commercial fishermen earned their Safety and Survival Certification and 38 received their Drill Conductor Certification. This hands-on training carried participants through the various life threatening situations that can and do occur onboard commercial fishing vessels at sea. The fishermen were taught how to prepare, react, respond, and keep crew members safe while attempting to mitigate the danger onboard their vessel. They learned how to safely fight a fire on board, stop a major leak that could sink the vessel, signal for help, work as a team and, when all else fails, how to safely abandon their vessel and gather in a group to survive until help can arrive. Learning these lifesaving skills while onboard a fishing trawler is a valuable asset for these brave fishermen, who go out onto the often dangerous ocean every day to bring back the delicious seafood that so many people love to eat. To lead the training, the city partnered with Fishing Partnership Support Services a non-profit organization based in New Bedford, MA that is dedicated to the health, safety and economic security of the commercial fishing industry. Their fantastic team of experts traveled to Newport News to offer this life-saving training, free of charge, to the fishermen located at the city’s Seafood Industrial Park. |