Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service held a joint exercise last Thursday along with the Maritime Coastguard Agency, Irish Ferries and RAF Chivenor, on board the Pembroke to Rosslare Ferry, the Isle of Inishmore.
The exercise was carried out while the ferry was on her afternoon sailing from Pembroke Dock to Rosslare, some six miles west of St. Anne's Head.
Following a call from the ferry, Milford Haven Coastguard requested specialist assistance from Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service, who deployed nine members of the service offshore incident team, led by assistant divisional officer Frank Amis, to the vessel. They were winched down from the helicopter along with their equipment onto the upper deck of the ferry while she was underway.
Once on board the vessel, they were faced with a fire scenario on deck three (the car deck), with two persons allegedly within the deck. After an initial assessment and liaising with the ship's crew, firefighters wearing breathing apparatus were committed to carry out a search of the affected area and commence fire-fighting.
Exercise director, divisional officer, Richie Webborn, said: "This exercise allowed the team members to deal with a realistic scenario on board the ferry under controlled, but realistic conditions. It is important for the team to carry out such training due to the volume of shipping found off the coast of Mid and West Wales.
"There are three ferries operating out of Swansea, Pembroke Dock and Fishguard. Between them they carry over one million people to and from Ireland. In addition to passenger ferries, there are many commercial vessels using ports within the Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service area."
The Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service is a member of the Maritime Incident Response Group (MIRG), along with 14 other fire and rescue services, strategically located around the UK, providing a national resilience for fires and other emergencies on board vessels at sea.
The MIRG is part of the Sea of Change project, which is championed by the Maritime Coastguard Agency in partnership with the Chief Fire Officers Association. The Maritime Coastguard Agency funds the specialist training for the teams and also provides equipment.
Chief fire officer, Doug Mackay, further added: "The Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service has had a long tradition of maritime training. This exercise fully prepares the service and crews to any potential maritime fires. I am pleased that we are actively involved with the national Maritime Incident Response Group."