What Is a Navy Firefighter?

A navy firefighter is someone who has chosen and been accepted into the firefighting service as their naval career rating (the navy’s term for job). While all naval personnel are taught basic firefighting skills in navy boot camp, navy firefighters receive more advanced firefighting, first aid, and rescue training as they progress through their careers. A navy firefighter is trained in the use of water and chemical firefighting, as well as the inherent dangers of using both in the wrong situation, in order to be prepared to deal with emergency situations.

Fire is one of the most dangerous conditions on any ship, and any waterborne military craft’s ability to combat and put out fires is critical. A fire on a military ship can easily start and spread throughout the ship due to ammunition stores, fuel tanks, and fuel-burning machinery located on and below decks. In the event of a shipboard fire, a navy firefighter must be prepared to suffer both burns and wounds caused on-board explosions. Explosions and fires are not limited to ships at sea; ships docked and loading or unloading supplies are also vulnerable to explosions and fires.

As a navy firefighter, you could be assigned to any area of operations involving the naval forces. Surface ships and submarines, as well as land and air stations, can all be included. This is also one of the driving forces behind the navy firefighters’ extensive firefighting training. Containing and extinguishing an aircraft fire, a shipboard fire, or a fire in a land-based structure can all happen at any time. A naval firefighter may be called upon to act as a fire marshal and determine the cause of a fire on rare occasions.

Firefighting training on a naval ship is often among the most intensive of any firefighting training available anywhere, due to the ship’s daily operations. A naval fire could involve aircraft fuel, diesel fuel, or munitions on any given day. On a ship, all of these types of fires are likely to occur at the same time. A firefighter’s job requires a lot of first-aid, and this is often multiplied exponentially in the job of a navy firefighter. The training to become a navy firefighter includes lifesaving measures as well as advanced first aid.