DIVISION DAMAGE CONTROL PETTY OFFICER

A senior petty officer within each division is assigned as the division damage control petty officer (DCPO) for that division. The DCPO is responsible, under the division leading petty officer (LPO), for damage control functions of the division and related matters. Outside normal working hours, duty division section leaders will perform DCPO duties on their duty days.

Each DCPO should carry out the following duties and responsibilities:

1. Understand all phases of the ship's damage control, fire fighting, and CBR defense procedures.

2. Assist in the instruction of division personnel in damage control, fire fighting, and CBR defense procedures.

3. Ensure the preparation and maintenance of damage control compartment checkoff lists for all divisional spaces.

4. Supervise the setting of specified damage control material conditions within divisional spaces and make required reports.

5. Weigh portable CO2 bottles, inspect and test damage control and fire fighting equipment, and prepare required reports for approval by the division officer in accordance with current ship's instruction.

6. Ensure that the required battle lanterns, dogging wrenches, spanner wrenches, and other damage control equipment are in place and in a usable condition in all divisional spaces.

7. Ensure that all compartments, piping, cables, and damage control and fire fighting equipment are properly stenciled or identified by color codes.

8. Ensure the posting of safety precautions and operating instructions in required divisional spaces.

9. Assist the division officer in the inspection of divisional spaces for cleanliness and preservation, and assist in the preparation of required reports.

10. Conduct daily inspections of divisional spaces for the elimination of fire hazards.

11. Perform such other duties with reference to damage control and maintenance of divisional spaces as may be directed by the division leading petty officer, the division officer, the fire marshal, and the DCA.

DAMAGE CONTROLMAN

As a Damage Controlman (DC) you will work with damage control daily. During your daily routine, you will work to prevent fires and flooding while accomplishing your regular job. You will inspect and maintain damage control equipment and systems. When you first start out, you will be assigned to the emergency damage control teams. You will be required to familiarize yourself with your ship's systems and all aspects of damage control. Eventually, you will qualify as scene leader for the emergency damage control teams. You will also be expected to help train other personnel in damage control. Although damage control is an ALL-HANDS responsibility, the DC community ensures that damage control readiness is kept at the highest possible level

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

We said earlier that damage control covers a wide variety of areas. Training is essential for an effective emergency party, This training is accomplished in several ways. You may learn through schools, correspondence courses, on-thejob training, shipboard training lectures and films. Whichever method is used, training will help you become an asset in the damage control field. These methods of training are explained below.

NAVY SCHOOLS

There are a number of Navy schools to train personnel in damage control. Your DCA normally requests quotas to send a complete repair party to a school as a unit. Members of the repair parties train together and learn to work as a unit. These schools include shipboard damage control, shipboard fire fighting, and aviation fire fighting. Refer to the Catalog of Navy Training Courses (CANTRAC), NAVEDTRA 10500, for the latest listing of courses available.

CORRESPONDENCE COURSES

There are a number of correspondence courses available to help you learn damage control. The correspondence course that goes with this manual is mandatory for all DCs. There are two other recommended courses that are not mandatory, but are a good source of training; Practical Damage Control, NAVEDTRA 10936, is an officerenlisted course. It covers damage control equipment, systems, and procedures. Theoretical Damage Control, NAVEDTRA 10937, is an officer course that deals with ship's stability, This course is recommended for those assigned as locker leader for a repair party.

ON-THE-JOB TRAINING

Another method of training is on-the-job training. This method allows you to learn while performing your daily tasks. Your fellow workers may teach you by sharing with you their knowledge. Otherwise, you may learn on your own through your experiences and by studying various publications.

You should have access to the manufacturers' technical manuals for your equipment. These manuals will give you information on the operation, maintenance, and repair of the equipment. Use them whenever you work on a piece of equipment that is new to you.

In addition, there are 16 single-subject training manuals available. These booklets contain basic information on the operation of equipment and systems. You may find a listing of these manuals in the List of Training Manuals and Correspondence Courses, NAVEDTRA 10061.

On-the-job training is also carried out through emergency drills. These drills help train emergency party personnel to perform their assignments in a professional manner. The drills also train individuals to work together as an effective unit.

You will also have training lectures and films on damage control. These films are listed in the Department of the Navy Catalog of Audiovisual Production Products, OPNAVINST 3157.1. The training films are good training tools, especially for views of realistic situations. One film shows an actual fire being fought on an aircraft carrier. The people in the films are not actors; they are sailors combating a casualty. The personnel casualties are real. These films will show that damage control is serious business and an allhands responsibility.