In general, I think that the quality of shoreside STCW fire training classes is ridiculously low. The quality of onboard fire planning, fire equipment, training, and drills are also low, most are go through the motions affairs. The crew (12 hour days and no OT) hates drills.
The problem starts with lack of planning for practical ways to deal with various types of onboard fires.
Next problem is company refusal to provide any equipment that is not specifically required by USCG regulations. Tugs for example, often do not have any firemen’s suits or SCBAs. Often there will be two SCBAs with no spare bottles, and no fire suits. We constantly hear: “it’s not required. It’s not required. It’s not required.”
Just like enclosed lifeboats are readily available, but not required.
I think the only way to properly prepare for a fire onboard is to hire fire fighting and salvage professionals to survey the vessel, come up with good practical fire fighting plans, specify the necessary fire fighting equipment to carry out the plans, install the equipment, train the crew together on the plans at a good live fire fighting center, they need to train the crew together with onshore table top exercises and onboard the vessel at least once a year. Drills also need to be professionally designed for the specific vessel and equipment. Then drills need to be routinely conducted, even when they delay operations, and the crew needs to be paid OT for the drills.
Companies need to get serious about fire safety and spend real money on it. Pencil whipping more safety forms may be inexpensive and create the false appearance of a good company safety culture, but it accomplishes nothing.