AIG Sponsors Training for Firefighters

The Loss prevention department of AIG Insurance hosted a shipboard firefighting training course for local firefighters in Ft. Lauderdale in mid October 2013. Firefighters from several local municipalities came together to learn the idiosyncrasies of fighting fires on boats. The course featured several days of instruction including boat fire theory in the classroom, practical training held at a facility known as the Gray Manatee and an opportunity to gain 1st hand knowledge of systems on board select yachts at Roscioli Yachting Center. Resolve Maritime in Ft. Lauderdale was chosen to administer the training and former U.S. Navy Damage Control Specialist Tom Jones was the lead trainer.

Firefighters in full bunker gear had the opportunity to fight a fire on board the Grey Manatee; a 140' shipboard firefighting simulator. They learned about on board Co2 systems, misting systems and the differences between land based fires and shipboard fires. One major difference involved fighting boat fires without sinking the vessel which would cause further property and environmental damage.

Carl Lessard of AIG stated "We initiated this program as a community outreach program to educate local firefighters on the huge differences between boat fires and land based fires. It has been well received thus far! I spend much of my time working on loss prevention programs with policy holders and their crew....AIG felt this program would complement our other efforts in the area of prevention nicely." The company is considering offering this training in other cities throughout the U.S.