Station 18 Melkbosstrand’s Bravo crew's training

Station 18 Melkbosstrand’s Bravo crew did a training session last weekend on the Bulk Carrier Sophie while she was moored at H berth in Cape Town Harbour.The scenario was that we had to treat numerous medical injuries. The ship’s crew performed their own drills with their firefighters and we took over on deck, being forced to manage a few surprises.The objective of the training was not to evacuate the ship or fight fighters, nor was it to test the crews medical abilities, but it was about leadership and teamwork.We gave our training coxswains the whole operation from call-out to stand down.They had no idea what or where the call was going to be, nor the extent of the problem or what equipment was needed.Secondly we tested our crew’s ability to work together and make decisions on the spot, to support their training coxswains and their ability to get the job done professionally.Lastly, we wanted to see how effectively they communicated with a crew where there is a language barrier (Sophie’s crew was from Burma). The training session lasted from 9am till about 12 pm and was a huge success.Pictures and Report by Kobus Meyer.