On Tuesday 24th November 2020, around 30 firefighters and seven vehicles took part in a fire drill on a yacht moored on Quai l’Hirondelle in the YCM Marina. For a whole morning, responders had to react and adapt their actions to a scenario involving a fire in the engine room with one person injured. The vessel in question was made available by a member of the Yacht Club de Monaco.

The exercise mobilised all those involved in nautical matters and the Principality’s security forces: the SEPM (Société d’Exploitation des Ports de Monaco) who manage Monaco’s two harbours, the Yacht Club de Monaco, the Maritime Affairs Department, the Maritime and Airport Police Division, and Monaco’s fire brigade.

 

 

The purpose of this type of exercise, which was part of a training week for fire chiefs in the fire brigade, is to maintain the skill level of staff in this very specific area, while also working on inter-departmental coordination and implementation of effective procedures. Risks involved with boat fires include the cramped nature of accesses and facilities onboard and the inherent potential for fires to spread.