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6 APRIL 2016 FOGHORN FOGHORNFOCUS HUMAN RESOURCES O wners and operators of passenger vessels are quite familiar with the time and expense necessary to train their crew to meet the many safety regulations and require- ments of todays maritime industry. However sometimes an owner or operator can develop tunnel vision and forget those employees who are not hired to perform vessel duties outside of the Captain Mate and other vessel crew. The problem with focusing on one safety training goal person or department is that owners and operators limit themselves by not developing a training program that broadens the scope of training to staff across the operation. Since the typical crew includes many diverse employees in a multitude of different roles nearly all wearing different hats cross training will benefit the safety of the vessel her passengers and crew. It may also save you money on your cost of personnel casualty losses and insurance for the operation as a whole. Recently I was introduced to a United States Coast Guard USCG inspector while attending a local Coast Guard small passenger vessel industry day aboard Hornblower Infinity. The inspector went out of her way to inform me on how impressed she was with the results of a recent inspection aboard the Statue Cruises fleet. The inspector pointed out that prior to conducting a fire drill she tested a conces- sion stand staff employee on how to handle different types of fire and emergency scenarios on board. The employee provided details not only of the correct duties assigned to him on the Station Bill but other crewmembers firefight- ing and emergency duties as well. She commended the team at Statue Cruises for including staff training that in her eyes went above and beyond normal industry emergency response training. Obviously as owners and operators we love hearing positive feedback from the Coast Guard but there are greater underlying benefits to training staff across different depart- ments that can be valuable to us all. Such benefits include emergency response effectiveness promotional opportuni- ties and cost savings. Emergency Response Effectiveness During an emergency onboard a vessel crew are typically trained to meet the safety expectations of their position described on the Emergency Station Bill. However what happens if key members of the response team are the victims or restricted in their availability to respond Who fills the role of the nozzle man on a fire hose or lowers the rescue boat if those crewmembers arent there Training Today The Benefits of Emergency Cross Training By Richard J. Paine Jr. Statue Cruises The key is cross training. As we are all well too familiar the sea can be unforgiv- ing and mariners for centuries have been notorious for formulating contingency plans. Nevertheless those contin- gency plans are only as strong as the preparation taken and maritime safety training should be no different. The training development of employees such as the kitchengalley wait staff and onboard hospitality department are perfect can- didates to receive additional safety training on emergency response duties. It is important to keep in mind that cross training shouldnt end solely with those employees working onboard the vessel. Shoreside personnel including sales and ticket personnel can also benefit from basic emergency response and safety training. Emergency sound signals alert the crew of emergency situations onboard but there is value for alerting those not onboard the vessel as well. A shoreside team trained to recognize dangers associated with the vessel and its operations can incorporate a commonsense safety response into their job functions. Cross training prepares them for such a response. A few short or long blasts on the ships whistle can initiate potential responses of the shoreside staff that can include simply notifying a supervisor or tempo- rarily slowing down a ticket line. Such simple actions can be critical to providing a timely response to an emergency and as importantly helping to maintain control of the situation. Advancement Opportunities Successful owners and operators realize the importance of keeping their employees especially those employees that are hardworking good employees. In most cases those hard- working good employees are interested in furthering their knowledge and thus their careers. It is not an uncommon story in this industry to hear of a Captain who started with