Page 11 - Mastheads Aug-Dec 1944

THE MASTHEAD, SATURDAY, AUGUST 12, 1944 PAGE 5

MODERN FIRE SCHOOL NAVY FIRE FIGHTERS TRAINED AT NEW FIRE FIGHTER SCHOOL ON T. I.
RECENTLY OPENED .HERE;

THREE COURSES GIVEN
By Clyde F. Babb, S1c
If some modem Nero were given
a divine disp,ensation to kindle the
fiercest fires imaginable, he could
ha.rdly ask for choicer materials
than explosives and gasoline, _A
cimflagration with precisely these
nightmareish ingredients w a s
touched off on the morning of
July 24, 1944, the date the Navy's
new fire fighter school was com-
missioned on Treasure Island. Lt.
C .. E. McKeogh has been in charge
of the school since November 5,
1943. Before coming into the Navy
in December, 1942, Lt. McKeogh
spent fifteen years on the New
York City Fire Department, eight
years of which he served as lieu-
tenant and captain. Lt. Walter
Nickels, formerly · with the Port-
land Fire Department, serves as
executive officer. He recently re-
turned from mobile fire fighting
units serving in the Mediterranean,
and took part in the invasions of
Sicily, Salerno and Tunis. He was
awarded the bronze star for his
work with the task forces.
Since Pearl Harbor, the art of
fighting fires on navaY'vessels has
been brought to a new plane. If
present apparatus and know-how
had existed at that time, in fact,
the damages would have been con-
siderably less extensiv,e and long
Ja,sting. It all adds up to one of
the truly basic naval advantages
of this war.
Importance is Obvious
The importance of fire fighting
in the Navy in wartime is obvious.
Damage to a warship does not end
with the immediate· destruction
wrought by an enemy bomb or tor-
pedo. It multiplies with fires and
these explosives are invariably set
off. It makes a difference of weeks
or months in the time a vessel is
laid up for repairs. It may even
determine whether a stricken ship
is to sink or live to fight another
day,. Efficacy of high and low
velocity water fog for combating
fire aboard all manners and make
of craft engaged in combat or car-
go for Uncle Sam is demonstrated
daily by the blaze-beaters of the
Navy's new fire fighter school in
daily session here on Treasure Is-
land. Lt. Charles J. Friedel, former
chief of the Union City, N. J., fire -
department, is in charge of field
operations. Lt. (jg) John Prudden The above pictures, taken by a staff photographer, show students at the new Treasure insert-Cooling down with a high velocity fog nozzle before advancing in outboard
Island Fire School receiving instructions on how to fight serious fires aboard ship. hatch of engine room. This operation is under the supervision of Lt, Charles J,
and Ensign L. Vaughan, formerly The new school is located on the northern part of the Island, Lower left-Students Friedel. Upper right-Knocking down a ruptured fuel line fire in boiler room section,
advancing behind a protective fog pattern, discharged from low velocity 10-foot appli- High velocity fog, discharged from high velocity nozzle. Center right-Students stand
with the San Francisco fire de- cator, The flames and smoke are from burning diesel oil. Center left - Students by, a waiting the sound of the whistle which will be the signal to extinguish a fli:e
partment, are instructors. ''advancing in'' hanger deck section, with burning gasoline and diesel oil. Upper which has developed into a raging inferno in the engine room section, Lower right-
left-Lt, C. E. McKeogh instructs student group on use of certain types of nozzles. Student group advance behind protective fog spray to extinguish blazing gasoline
Using up-to-the-minute methods Lower insert-Mechanical foam line in operation. Sequence tQ center left photo. Top piped under pressure.
and equipment, students at the
fire school extinguish .gasoline and v_,ice's new and improved fire fight- Two-day, Six-day, and Thirty-day.
fuel ,oil first in tanks, sheds, and U.S. NAVAL
in concrete and steel structures ing apparatus. They learn that the '.L'he first day of the standard Two-
which simulate the engine rooms, old-fashioned solid stream of water, day course starts off with an hour FRONTIER BASE
fire rooms, and forecastles of de- while good for putting out burning and a half lecture which includes
stroyers, as well as the hanger rugs, mattresses and other c_om- training films. The balance of the Letter of Appreciation
deck ,of aircraft carri,ers. mon combustibles, is not nearly day the students fight fires with
The fight against intense heat so -effective f o r m o re particular demonstrations and assistance by c/ o Fleet Post Office
the instructors. San Francisco, Calif.
and smoke instills confidence in work as are some newer wrinkles. Dancing to the strains of music
the men; only actual experience One of these is the water fog. By The second day they are on their 25 July 1944
provided by the Treasure Island
Cfl.:rl give them this confidence. simply pulling the lever on the own. The instructors step in only Swing band, YWCA and Red Cross Commander M. E . Carlson, USNR
St~dents Are Well Trained new Navy all-purpose hose nozzle if they are absolutely required. girls and ANTS personnel spent a Commanding Officer, · ·
U. S. Naval Frontier Base,
In one spectacuJar feature of the water is transformed from ·a In · the Six-day course the students most enjoyable evening at the
Treasure Island, California
the training program, the simulat- solid stream to a conical spray of come up against an even greater Ship's dance held in the Scottish
My dear· Commander:
ed interior of an engine room is finely diffused particles. number of variety of test fires and Rite Temple in San Francisco on
flooded with diesel oil and primed With this fog as a shield, stu- go more deeply into the technical Wednesday evening. Our thanks to I wish to express my deep ap-
prec_iation for the complete coop-
w i t h gasoline. T h e mixture is dents discover they can advance side of the subjects. They also take the Welfare Department for an
eration and active assistance given
set ablaze and the students ex- right up to a "Christmas Tree", up such· fine points as moving in evening of fun and entertainment.
tinguish the flames with three one a branched pipe lashed up within an on a blaze through suffocating Congratulations to the following my ship and my officers during our
stay in Treasure Island.
and one-half inch lines of high enclosed compartment in which smoke done with the aid of oxygen men on their advancement in rat-
I should like to express thru
velocity "water fog." gasoline under pressure is blazing breathing apparatus and rescuing ing to Slc- T .. E. Bennett, C. A.
On the _ first day of the course so intensely that spectators 45 to shipmates from burning holds. Koehn, H. A. Evans, C. T. Padilla, you, my personal thanks to Lt.
Frederick S. Allen, Lt. L. E. Dob-
for enlisted men, the instructors 50 feet off tum their. faces away. The Thirty-day course trains in- G. A. Ries, G . T. Clarke, J. F.
bins, and Lt. w ; Godchaux, for
assume all the responsibility; on Another recently adopted technique structors for the standard schools, Yunker, M . E . Dupuich, L. M. Bar-
their efforts in our behalf.
the second day, however, the stu- favored for certain types _ of oil advance base work, and mobile row, H. Graham, R. W. Kemples,
dents are on their own with the and gasoline fires is mechanical fighting units that operate with C. N. Laugh, and C. G. ·s1aski. Sincerely yours,
instructors acting in an advisory foam, in which air and water-and the task forces. The following were advanced to I sl WILLIA,M A. COLLIER.
capacity. Fires are lighted without a special foam preparation are The fir,e fighting pr,ogram has EM(T)lc: S. E. Leech, D. W. Gos-
warning; hose connections broken whipped into a flame smothering advanced a step farther.' Fleets in line, H. L. Castle, A. Garbini, J . F . , A lieutenant piloting a transport
and equipment thrown' about ap- blanket. For fires of ,electrical acti-on are accompanied by ships Zeller, J . W. Wright. J . S. Cham- plane was given the. all clear signal
proximating emergencies on a ship origin, a carbon dioxide is" used. -~hose sole function is t.o extin- berlain was advanced t6 GM(T)lc ; to land, and as he swooped down
engaged in combat. In addition to Students also get instruction in guish any fires that br,eak out. R. P. Miller, N . R. Pessagno and gracefully over the runway he
the fire tests students are lectur,ed operating the Handy Billy, a port- With all th•e task forces, ,organized G. S. Rash to M2c. A. D. Osgood ·looked from his controls with pride:
on fire fighting, embellished with able gasoline driven pump that units .of spec.ial fire. fighting parties ·has been advanced to Coxswain. "'One of the best landings I ever
the educational training f i 1 ms may be used on shipboard if the fight _ ship fir,es caused by enemy J . F .. Estes, TClc, reported as \nade," he chortled. ·
illustrating proper fire· extinguish~ fire main is breached or the water action. They were the first to set an instructor in the:· Gunner's The AMM standing behind him
ing methods taught by the_: united pressure fails. foot ,on the shores -of Sicily, . Pa- Mates and Electric Hydraulic .cleared his throat. "Sir," he said
States Navy. The school:. intro- Three Courses Given•.. l,ermo, Normandy, and in -all areas school 1 as t week. "Welcome timidly, "you're still fifteen feet
duces Navy men to all their l,!er-.. The school gives three courses- of the Pacific. aboard!" off the ground."