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Marine Emergency Duties

Marine emergencies and the duties that marine emergency responders must perform are incredibly varied. Most marine emergency duties fall into three categories: fire fighting, search and rescue and administering first aid. The marine emergency duties A1/A2 course offered through St. Lawrence College trains individuals studying marine emergency in fire fighting, life boat use and flare use. Marine emergency courses certify marine emergency responders, according to Transport Canada, a division of the Government of Canada.

  1. Marine Fire Fighting

    • Marine fire fighting includes small engine fires as well as large pleasure cruise kitchen fires. Individuals trained to respond to marine fires must undergo several courses of various intensities before reaching total certification. U.S. marine emergency responders must train for several different fire emergencies, according to the Marine FireFighting Institute. Marine fires can also include hazardous materials cargo fires such as oil fires, and emergency responders certified for these fires must also earn hazardous materials certification.

    Marine Search and Rescue

    • Marine search and rescue duties include lifeboat launch, lifejacket use and the firing of a flare gun to alert authorities to a position. Marine search and rescue also includes rescuing passengers from a capsized boat in a violent storm, as well as helicopter search and rescue missions assisting airplane crash survivors in the middle of the ocean. Those trained and certified in marine search and rescue duties are typically also certified in first aid administration.

    Marine First Aid and Emergency Medical Duties

    • Marine first aid duties are similar to typical first aid duties. Most individuals certified in first aid can perform CPR, build a makeshift sling or stop bleeding. Intensive first aid training or emergency medical training may cover intubation, in which the responder inserts a hose in the trachea utilized to pump air into the lungs, the insertion of intravenous needles, or the operation of a defibrillator, a medical device used to deliver an electric shock to either the chest or directly to the heart.

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