CRUISES For sea voyages, know the drill about safety

Ships take many precautions, but be sure to know what to do in an emergency.
KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS
When an emergency occurs aboard a cruise ship, as it did recently on the Norway, a passenger's first thought is likely to be, what do I do now?
The answer's easy, cruise safety experts say: Do what you're told.
"Modern ships are extremely well equipped, with various layers of protection on board," said Capt. William Wright, senior vice president of safety, security and environment for Royal Caribbean.
"We've had firefighters on board [as passengers] and I've taken them on tours, and they're nothing short of flabbergasted."
Still, passengers have to do their part. That's why it's important to attend the mandatory boat drill held at the beginning of every cruise, he said.
Some passengers, particularly ones who have cruised often, may skip the drill, thinking that because they've taken part in them before, they don't need to again. Wrong, Wright said.
"They need to know what route to take to their emergency stations, what to bring with them, what not to bring."
Additional precautions
Behind the scenes, meanwhile, every cruise ship has a number of systems with which to fight fire and other problems.
Under the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) regulations that cruise ships must comply with, all cabins must have smoke detectors and sprinkler systems.
Passageways must have lighting. Every crew member with safety responsibility must obtain a training certificate and undergo weekly drills.
"The average cruise ship has more than 170 trained personnel on firefighting teams," said Michael Crye, president of the International Council of Cruise Lines, to which the major 15 lines belong.
Also aboard the average ship: 6 miles of fire hose, 5,000 sprinkler heads, 4,000 smoke detectors, 400 fire hydrants and 500 extinguishers.
"Fire is clearly one of our biggest concerns. So many variables can cause a fire," said Wright, who sailed for years as a cruise ship captain.
"There are smoke detectors and heat detectors in literally every area," Wright said.
"We also have high-fog sprinkler systems -- a mist that absorbs 800 times as much heat as droplets [in usual sprinkler systems] -- and it can be used when people are in the area."
Periodic inspections
It is systems like these that the U.S. Coast Guard inspects on the Control Verification Examinations it conducts on cruise ships every three months.
The Norway underwent one of these 10 days before the boiler explosion last weekend in Miami that killed at least four crew members, Chief Petty Officer Gene Smith said. No passengers were injured.
Typically, Coast Guard inspectors check such things as fire pumps and hydrants, watertight doors, operation of emergency generators, lighting and steering systems, lifesaving systems and smoke and heat detectors, Smith said.
"They must witness a satisfactory emergency drill [by the crew], and they check on conditions that might contribute to fire hazards -- that there are no piles of oily rags or blocks in the path to the life boats."