USS Shoup Practices Shipyard Firefighting

The crew of the guided missile destroyer USS Shoup (DDG 86), along with the US Naval Station Everett (NSE) Fire Department and City of Everett Fire Department, conducted a shipyard fire drill to practice coordination between the different organizations, Aug 13.

The purpose of the fire drill was to coordinate efforts between ship’s force and the NSE fire team to combat a shipyard fire as quickly and effectively as possible.

On May 23, 2012, USS Miami (SSN 755) caught fire as it was undergoing an extensive overhaul during a 20 month maintenance cycle. During maintenance availabilities, ships do not have the same capabilities to combat a fire as they would have at sea. For this reason, it is crucial that ships have backup plans to combat fires while in the shipyards.

Shoup, the NSE Fire Department and the City of Everett Fire Department, completed the shipyard fire drill and became the first ship to safely and successfully execute the drill in the area.

“The communication went pretty well between ship’s force and Naval Station Everett,” said Bruce Kramer, Region Fire Chief of Navy Region Northwest Fire and Emergency Services. “We received good resources from the city of Everett as well.”

Richard Gale, Ship Safety Manager of Puget Sound Shipyard, said he has overseen several shipyard fire drills and was impressed with Shoup’s effective team.

“It was a dramatic improvement from the ship,” said Gale. “They ensured the fire was controlled before it got too bad.”

“The major fire drill was a complex scenario with many moving parts and coordination between the NSE Federal Fire Department, City of Everett Fire Department, Naval Station Everett, PSNS, IMF, Navy Region Northwest and Shoup’s damage control organization,” said Lt. Katarina Denton, Shoup’s damage control assistant. “Ultimately, the collaborative efforts paid off resulting in a successful and safely executed evolution which prepared us to utilize resources in the Pacific Northwest to control and combat a casualty on board Shoup while in port Everett.”

Commissioned in 2002, Shoup is named for Gen. David M. Shoup, the 22nd Commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps.