Ocean Classroom Foundation Safety Statement
Ocean Classroom Foundation celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2006, and we are proud of our overall record of safe and reliable operations. All of our vessels are maintained and operated to exceed all pertinent regulations and safety standards. Our vessels are inspected annually by the USCG and American Bureau of Shipping, and our crew are licensed by the USCG as appropriate for their rating.
In our decade of operations, we have had no serious accidents or life-threatening incidents happen to any of our students. In fact, they have sustained nothing more than minor injuries, in the nature of scrapes, bruises, and bumps, acquired through the day-to-day activities of seafaring. We have had some significant medical emergencies: cases of appendicitis, allergic reactions, etc. In every case, these have been successfully managed to completely safe outcomes.
We have several different types of emergency responses, designed for different kinds of emergencies and circumstances. Our ships are equipped with cell phones, VHF and SSB radiotelephones, satellite e-mail and distress communications, E.P.I.R.B.S., flares, etc., providing ample and redundant systems for communicating distress or any level of request for assistance. We carry all required lifesaving equipment, including SOLAS rated self-inflating life rafts, and survival suits. Crew and students are drilled in responses for fire, man overboard, and abandon ship emergencies.
The program we will do with Birmingham Southern College will be of relatively short duration, in near-coastal waters of the Eastern Caribbean. As such, we will never be out of range of USCG and local search and rescue units, which provide excellent coverage in the Caribbean. In the event of an emergency, the ship will notify the USCG, and begin coordination of appropriate rescue or response activities.
Ocean Classroom subscribes to MedLink, a private, state of the art remote medical emergency management service. Based in a hospital trauma center and manned 24/7 by experienced emergency physicians, MedLink provides real-time consultation for medical emergencies. They also provide our medical equipment and supplies, and training in their use. They maintain a worldwide database of hospitals and health care providers, they will manage overseas hospitalization cases, and life-flight med evacuation events. In the event of a medical problem on board, we contact MedLink by phone, radio or satellite email, and they instruct us how to treat the patient, where to obtain treatment ashore, etc., as appropriate to the circumstances.
Ocean Classroom vessels sail with a Medical Officer who holds current certification as a Wilderness First Responder.
As their web page explains, "this 80-hour certification course meets DOT National Standards for First Responder with additional protocols for extended-care situations." This is the minimum standard for our medical officers, and many of them have further training.
In the event of heavy weather, or impending heavy weather, our Captains use their judgment as to how to best respond. On near-coastal cruises, we almost always have the chance to find a sheltered harbor. When off-shore, the Captain can reduce sail and heave-to, and so minimize the effects of wind and sea. In heavy weather, students and crew wear safety harnesses and clip into lifelines.
Communications protocols are an important part of our safety plan. The ship is expected to contact OCF HQ daily. If scheduled communications are missed, OCF HQ contacts the USCG to begin search and rescue plans.
If the captain anticipates heavy weather, he/she makes contact with Ocean Classroom HQ. He/she will describe the situation, provide the ship's current position and status, and specify a time (within 24 hours or less, depending on the severity of the circumstances) when he/she will make contact again.
In the event of any casualty to ship or personnel, or any impairment of safety equipment or functionality, the captain will contact OCF HQ and make a report, as soon as is practicable. Responses from that point will vary according to the circumstances. OCF HQ will be the shoreside communications coordinator, though this does not preclude the USCG, MedLink, or other agencies from having direct communications with the ship.
Having a clear chain of command is also an important part of our safety plan. The vessel's Captain is the final authority for all issues affecting the safety of the vessel and all persons on board. Our ship's medical officer reports to the Captain, and manages medical emergencies on board, unless the Captain delegates someone else to do so. Medically qualified staff from program partners will be included in the management of any medical event that affects their personnel, but the Captain is necessarily the final authority.
When OCF HQ is notified of an emergency or casualty on board, we will notify the designated shoreside representative of our program partner, as soon as is practicable. From that point, contacting the family of the ill or injured person will be the responsibility of the program partner, if the patient is their student or staff person. Every effort is made to inform the family of the patient prior to administering treatment, but necessary treatment will not be withheld if that family cannot be reached.