You Can't Call 911 When You Live on a Ship

This last week of training was the most exciting yet!  We learned how to fight fires because if you're at sea and the ship catches on fire, you can't call the fire department. It makes me realize: I'm not just joining a non-profit ministry, I am becoming an actual crew member on a ship!

We started our fire fighting practice at 6am to try to beat the heat.  Trust me, the uniforms are hot, sweaty, and heavy. We were covered from head to toe with protective gear: boots, pants, jacket, hood, globes, helmet, and breathing mask with attached oxygen tank.  Wearing the uniform was harder than actually putting out the fires.

We worked in pairs and learned how to stay low and how to keep one hand on the wall at all times so you don't get lost or disoriented in the dark and smoke.

While it's unlikely I will ever have to fight a serious fire on the ship, we did practice using fire extinguishers, which could definitely come in handy some day.

We are ready in our fire fighting gear. These suits protect us up to 900 degrees.

Learning how to work together with a hose.  It's heavier than it looks!

It's hard to tell who's who with all the helmets and face masks.  But here I am in this one.

Using a fire extinguisher to fight a Class B fire

Using water to cool down the door enough to enter the burning container

Yes, that is a real fire.

Here we go!

It was almost 700 degrees inside!

My fire fighting partner, Emma and me

Helping others get their gear off when they come out and are hot, tired, and disoriented.