REFTRA .... Refresher Training
from
USS Kawishiwi AO-146
1976 Bi-Centennial Cruise book
used with
permission: webmaster - Vern Bouwman
This
training course is an all hands project, covering all
shipboard operations and tactical skills.
A team of instructors visit the ship and hold training seminars
and drills. Training on board allows the crew to undergo
training as a team, ensuring that they have been trained
at a consistent level, and reinforcing a concept of a team
response to emergencies. It also allows for realistic training
scenarios that involve the equipment and surroundings with
which the crew is most familiar. By training an entire crew
as a team in one sitting, scheduling difficulties and the
need to travel to a training site are eliminated. Because REFTRA is given on board, drills can be designed
to be specific to the vessel, and scenarios are based on
input gathered from the vessel's master and crew. The REFTRA course consists of instruction and demonstrations
in general deck and engine room safety procedures, pollution
mitigation, shipboard fire fighting, lifesaving procedures
and equipment and damage control techniques. Final days are devoted to practical drills, including a
full-dress fire fighting drill, lifeboat, abandon ship, man
overboard procedures and an oil spill response drill. A comprehensive
exam is given after the drills are conducted. If conditions
permit, drills are performed while the vessel is underway,
providing the most realistic drill scenario. |
