A fire that destroyed theUSS Miamiprompted the U.S. Navy to revise its approach to firefighting and create a new manual on precautions to be taken during industrial activities on ships.
The Dayreported (http://bit.ly/168Kg1H) that Vice Admiral William Hilarides said it was clear “we had forgotten how to fight big fires,” particularly in shipyards. When a ship is mostly shut down, few people are on board and a “hodgepodge” of people–federal firefighters, local firefighters, the ship’s crew, and any shipyard workers who are available–are responsible for firefighting.
The full cost of implementing the changes has not been determined, but it’s reportedly expensive.
TheUSS Miamiwas severely damaged at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in May 2012 when acivilian workerset afireon board during a planned 20-month overhaul. The Navy ultimately decidednot to repair the submarinedue to the extent of the damage.
Read more about the proposed changes athttp://bit.ly/168Kg1H.
