Damage Controlman David News

Forty Sailors from USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63) participated in aircraft firefighting training at the Naval Engineering Learning Site here March 1. Students learn about the chemistry of fire, how it behaves, how it moves, and how to extinguish it. Fighting an aircraft fire is different than fighting a shipboard fire. Different techniques are used, due to the uniqueness of the fire. “With a shipboard fire, say, a berthing fire for example, you can classify it and contain it,” said Chief Damage Controlman David D. Jefferson, senior instructor. “With aircraft fires, you have man-made items such as composite fibers, and it reacts differently to fire. Students receive hands-on training in realistic settings to closely simulate the sequence of events in case of a real fire.