Wheelman Down

Can you respond effectively to a incapacitated Wheelman? 

It is 0230 in the morning on a slow watch, as your tow heads up the Tenn-Tom at a steady pace. Your Wheelman calls down to the galley and asks you to come to up to the wheelhouse. He says over the intercom that he is not feeling well and would you bring him some ice. "Ok, no problem, I will be right up".

You fill a pitcher with some ice and head up. As you clear the top of the stairs into the wheelhouse, you find your wheelman motionless, lying on the deck.

"Hey, Bill are you ok?. Bill can you hear me?"

Nothing, your Wheelman lies motionless.

What do you do next?

Don't be a hero. Here you have multiple situations around you that require immediate action. You need help!

Sound the General Alarm. In the course of an emergency, there is little time to react. The ability to sound the General Alarm should be well rehearsed and almost automatic. All crew members, not just the Wheelmen, should know how to activate the General Alarm System.

Do you know where the General Alarm is located on the console? Remember it may be dark up there.

Quickly assess your navigation situation. It may take a minute or two for the off-watch Wheelman to get up to the wheelhouse to take over the piloting. If you are in open water, there may not be a navigation problem so you can quickly attend to your downed wheelman.

But that may not always be the case. If your tow is approaching a bend in the waterway or is about to meet another tow, immediate action is necessary at avert another dangerous situation.

Do you know how to operate the throttles? You may have seen it done a hundred times, but if it is solely in your hands, can you react properly to manage the tow speed.

Do you know how to manipulate the sticks to avert an allision or collision? Steering a six hundred foot tow is an art which is not learned overnight. You can though, learn from your Wheelmen how to take evasive action to keep the tow out of danger. Learn it now and not in the pressure of an emergency situation.

The off-watch crewmen have now arrived in the wheelhouse in response to your general alarm. You have averted a possible collision; now is time to assess the medical situation and administer first aid to your incapacitated Wheelman.

Is your Wheelman conscious? "Bill, are you ok? Can you hear me?"

If he is conscious, ask him to talk. If there is no response, use your first aid training. From the "American Red Cross Adult First Aid Ready Reference":

"If an unconscious person is face-down, roll face-up, supporting the head, neck and back in a straight line. Tilt head, lift chin. CHECK quickly for breathing for no more than 10 seconds. Note: Occasional gasps are not breathing.

Check for breathing. If not breathing, begin CPR as trained. Give 30 Chest Compressions. Push hard, push fast in the middle of the chest at least 2 inches deep and at least 100 compressions per minute.

Give 2 rescue breaths. Tilt the head back and lift the chin up. Pinch the nose shut then make a complete seal over the person's mouth. Blow in for about 1 second to make the chest clearly rise. Give rescue breaths, one after the other. Note: If chest does not rise with rescue breaths, retilt the head and give another rescue breath.

DO NOT STOP. Continue cycles of CPR. Do not stop CPR except in one of these situations: You find an obvious sign of life, such as breathing. An AED is ready to use. Another trained responder or EMS personnel take over. You are too exhausted to continue. The scene becomes unsafe."

Once the Wheelman's medical situation is assessed and First aid started, get emergency help."

The responding Wheelman now in the wheelhouse, should be using the VHF radio to contact the USCG for emergency medical assistance through the local vessel traffic system or on emergency channel 16.

Do you know how to transmit of the VHF radio?  Non-Wheelmen should also be proficient in operating the VHF radio:  

• Do you know how to operate the various VHF radio's in the wheelhouse;"ON/OFF", "Squelch button" and channel selections?
• Do you know what channels to use? "16", "13","14" as per area.
• Do you know how to effectively communicate the vessel's emergency to response personnel? 

Calling 911 in many areas of the waterways will be the most effective way to get an emergency response.

A call to the Higman dispatch group is an obvious requirement.

Regular checks must be made on the wheelman on watch, based on the Captains requirements.  Higman Policy and Procedure calls for checks to be made every hour when underway.  Special check intervals are to be made depending on the navigation situation. 

It is best to always be ready for any emergency.  Though the thought of an incapacitated Wheelman is not a pleasant one, there is always a remote chance it could happen and you should be ready to respond. 

Be prepared in case this ever happens to you and your crew.

Stern Shots 

Capt. Ross Burton,  M/V SAN BERNARD.

Relief Capt. Jarrett Hopson, M/V SAN BERNARD.

Tankerman Leon Morvant has a special hat on the M/V SAN BERNARD!

M/V EMPIRE at Channelview.

Shrimp on the M/V ANTIETAM, ready for dinner.

When heading up the Neches River between bouy "40" and "42" on the east side, groups of moored ocean going ships of many descriptions sit waiting.  This is the McFadden Bend Reserve Fleeting Area which is home to the Beaumont Reserve Fleet. 

 

The group of ships is part of the National Defense Reserve Fleet.  It consists of "mothballed" ships, mostly merchant vessels, that can be activated within 20 to 120 days to provide shipping during national emergencies.  

 

The Beaumont Reserve Fleet is one of three remaining NDRF fleets scattered across the country.  The other two include the:

• James River Fleet at Fort Euistis, Virginia 
• Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet in San Francisco Bay

McFadden Bend Reserve Fleet

The original course of the Neches River, which flows in a generally southeasterly direction toward Lake Sabine and the Gulf of Mexico, takes several meandering bends just south of Beaumont, Texas.  In 1946, the government excavated the largest of these bends and straightened the river channel.  As the result of the removal of nearly 24 million cubic yards of spoils, the McFadden Bend Cutoff is home to the BRF.  The fleet accepted its first vessels in 1948.

 

In addition to the Ready Reserve Force, the NDRF consists of a variety of obsolete commercial vessels awaiting disposal.  The NDRF also hosts many decommissioned U.S. Navy auxiliary vessels.  These vessels arrive at the fleet at the end of their military usefulness, and are typically transferred by the U.S. Navy to the Maritime Administration (MARAD) for disposal.