WASHINGTON: The Navy’s Pacific surface forces have established a six-person team to implement a new fire safety program — one which has begun conducting no notice assessments at the service’s shipyards.
“We recently hired two civilians and appointed a Navy O-5 commander to support our Fire Safety Assessment Program (FSAP) team, bringing the team up to six personnel,” Navy spokeswoman Cmdr. Nicole Schwegman said in response to questions from Breaking Defense.
The Fire Safety Assessment Program (FSAP) was established following the fire on the amphibious ship Bonhomme Richard, which burned for four straight days in July 2020. The service recently announced it had criminally charged a sailor in connection to the fire that ultimately destroyed the warship. The sailor is a member of ship’s crew and is charged with starting the fire, according to Cmdr. Sean Robertson, a service spokesman for US 3rd Fleet.
The FSAP, according to Schwegman, is conducting no notice assessments at all Navy shipyards and those inspections are not limited to just maintenance availabilities.
“We conduct at least one assessment per week in the largest fleet concentration areas (San Diego and Norfolk) and monthly outside of the fleet concentration areas (i.e. Seattle, Hawaii, Japan, Rota),” said Schwegman.
The assessors will travel throughout the Pacific Fleet with the goal of establishing two personnel at each fleet location. Naval Surface Force Atlantic is working on a similar program, Schwegman added.
The details of the new fire safety program build on comments from Vice Adm. Roy Kitchener, who spoke to reporters last month about changes made in the Navy’s fire safety protocols as a result of the Bonhomme Richard.
“We’re pretty good at firefighting at sea,” Kitchener, the commander of naval surface forces, told reporters. But in the context of an industrial shipyard environment, the admiral said there is “a little bit of education” and “spot checking” that is needed.
In addition to the fire safety program, the admiral also said there have been changes in training for officers heading to command and “significant investments” made in fire detection equipment.