Just wondering if anyone has taken the NEMO (Northeast Maritime Institute Online) Advanced Firefighting course? Did the USCG accept it if you did?
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I took the NEMO Advanced Firefighting on line a few months ago and submitted everything to the Coast Guard to test for 500 ton and I received my approval to test.
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Yes it’s accepted, there’s an online portion and then you do a video call review with one of their instructors.
If you’re concerned about any courses acceptability, just go to the NMC website and check the approved courses list.
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Just did mine back in june and submitted my renewal for my mmc with no issues. Definately will do it again in five years. Can’t say enough good things about it.
I didn’t have to do a phone call or video call with anyone from the school like tugboater203 said though.
I took the class. It was good and the materials were interesting.
Definitely had to schedule and take the assessment with an instructor and I’m pretty sure anyone who takes the class also must.
Guess i fell thru the cracks somehow. I did the case studies and filled out the pdf questionnaires and such. Did the exam thru HALO. Never saw or talked to an instructor.
Ctony,
Having read your solid ideas for years now, I believe you.
Call and schedule your assessment. It’s important.
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Recommend overall. Easy and test with instructor was no problem. I did have to wait a bit to do instructor test so keep that in mind if you’re a bit pressed for time. Will definitely be taking more courses with them…
I cannot swallow paying New England Maritime more for an online renewal course than the cost of an original in person Advanced Fire course, or an in person refresher course at most other schools.
I find that actually doing the work for an online of hybrid course takes more time than an in person course.
Some years ago, I enquired about getting NEM’s Dominica License, but I thought it was an outrageous ripoff for a nearly worthless gray list license.
I was much happier flying down to MPT in the winter (tax deductible ) for BT and Advance Fire Revalidation (at a lower price) in two days, and then going to visit friends and relatives in Florida.
Its very convenient for many of us but I don’t understand how the USCG could possibly approve BST or AFF without the student having to attend a live fire portion. There is absolutely value in going to the fire grounds, donning turnout gear and an SCBA, and extinguishing real oil fires. Even if the only value(because already you’ve done this x many times before) is realizing you’re more out of shape then you used to be and now you can suck down a 20minute bottle in 5 minutes.
It seems irresponsible for the CG to let these standards slide.
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Unlike the FF one, the BST still requires an in-person practical even if you do the online option. The online part covers the classroom portion which shortens the in-person part to just the pool/fire practicals.
When i did my first AFF revalidation, it was all classroom work. From what i hear, most schools AFF revalidation is all classroom because that is the requirement. I personally don’t see the harm in doing an online course for that if its allowed.
During the BT reval we are dressing out and going thru the motions. Where i’ve done my BT reval both times since its been required, its the same firefighting practice i did as my original AFF 10+ years ago. Assuming we are doing drills like we are supposed to on the vessel coupled with our revalidations, we should all be prepared for the real thing. I agree with the fact that you can never practice enough and you only get better by repetition, but i’m not getting your point exactly.
Online courses just preparing you to operate eventually from a remote operating center when vessels become autonomous
It was good course materials, the tests were there for each section and the evaluation was by the book. Having been subjected to maritime training for over 40 years around the globe, NE Maritime is fine - in the middle of the pack.
MPT is good of similar standard but a bigger operation, with fantastic pool training facilities they use in a nearby city.
MSC in Freehold very good and US Navy in Norfolk was excellent for fire field exercises. Back in the day it was great with serious smoky oil fires one had to team up and put out. I have a vague memory of some US Navy damage control course with flooding one had to stop.
The place the AMO Star center used in FLL was very good - I think it was Resolve. Some place down Morgan City was was okay for HUET & SafeRig or whatever they call it nowadays.
Best in depth courses on deeper topics than BST was definitely MEBA in Easton or on Light Street in the day. That was a while back ….
Best hands on / classroom factory training … MTU Friedrichshafen but GE LM2500 course in Cincinnati was pretty darn good and the school (supports aviation training same place) was amazing. Definitely some cool machines there.
Online is good - it allowed me to deal with USCG AFF requirements from home in Germany this time around …. so I vote yes !
All the other stuff needed to renew required I come to USA and just deal with it wherever the sked matched. The location never mattered.
Get your AFF assessment done.
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I did the Resolve AFF course when I was in my early 20’s. The mock up ship was called The Manatee and consisted of a dozen or more shipping containers…and they didn’t play around. Pallet fires with rubber tires thrown on them…they were the real deal, if you had any skin exposed you got burnt.
Since then I have taken AFF at Broward County Fire Department and a couple refresher courses who all use a smoke machine for various reasons. Not much compared to being in a steel box fighting a pallet and rubber fire in the freaking Florida Summer heat but I can appreciate the safety aspect since resolve lost a couple older students some time ago.
sorry to respond late, but just saw this.
I took AFF at PMI in Seattle because my company at the time let me pick where I wanted to go, and I honestly wanted the most hands-on I could find. I think there was 1.5 days of classroom, then the other days were spent dressing out and working various methods, and then we divided into groups to create drills for the other students. Honestly it was great and as I was rarely on a fire team as I was usually relief crew, I wanted more hands on.
I took BT reval at MPT a couple weeks ago. An hour in the pool and then a simulated (digital) fire while we were in turnout gear, and then using a fire extinguisher. Kind of a joke but I’m in a bit of burnout (pardon the pun) after taking a ton of classes recently, so I didn’t mind the break.
Online classes worry me, honestly.