Officers and crew of Midnight Sun apply crucial safety and medical training on the job and in the air

In the past two months, officers and crew members who work aboard the Midnight Sun, which operates in regular Jones Act service between Tacoma, Wash. and Anchorage, Alaska, successfully and rapidly extinguished an equipment fire on deck, and saved two lives - both on the job and off - in separate incidents.

As noted in posted accounts and media reports, in September, an electrical fire in a piece of vendor's equipment broke out on the deck of the ship while it was in the Port of Tacoma. There was no cargo onboard the ship at the time. The vessel also did not have a full crew onboard at the time.

Officers and crew members onboard mustered to stations. Chief Mate Matthew Huyter was first on scene coordinating the response effort. A fire team composed of Third Mate Aaron Scott, Third Assistant Engineer Brian O'Connell and OMU Rohmy Butler suited up quickly to attack the fire, and they were backed up by a supplemental team on deck, which included Bosun Thomas MacGregor. Meanwhile, Third Mate Tony Milam, ABG Gamal Muflahi and ABG Arturo Galaura manned two fire monitors on the flying bridge. Captain Daniel Severino and Second Mate Daniel Warren manned a fire hose from the bridge wing.

Chief Engineers Brian DeBord and Joseph Woods ensured adequate engine power was provided to run the pumps required to maintain water pressure by quickly starting a main engine. Other engineers assisting were First Assistant Engineer Joseph Murphy, First A.E. Jake Tomlinson, Second A.E. Adam King and Third A.E. James Bannister.

Working together, the teams had five hoses trained on the site of the fire and had it extinguished in about 20 minutes, before local fire department personnel had arrived on the ship.

In October, while traveling to join the Midnight Sun, a female passenger on the plane aboard which Second Mate Tyler Vanderlip was flying suffered an apparent heart attack during the flight to SeaTac Airport from California. The plane's crew made an announcement requesting assistance from any medical practitioners on the flight. When nobody came forward, Vanderlip stepped up to help. He performed CPR on the woman during the flight and kept her alive until it landed, when an EMT crew was able to take over and transport her for medical care.

Also in October, during cargo operations aboard the Midnight Sun, a longshoreman working cargo on the spar deck of the ship suffered an apparent heart attack. Samuel Garfield, an American Maritime Officers member who had previously sailed as chief mate aboard a different vessel and who was working as a stevedore during cargo operations, was on scene with other personnel. When the call was made on the radio, Chief Mate Matthew Huyter and Third Mate Nicholas Le Blanc retrieved a trauma kit and AED from the ship's hospital and were on scene very quickly. Those who had gathered cleared away and Garfield remained with the longshoreman providing care on deck.

They started rescue breathing, and before they could begin chest compressions, the AED advised the trio to administer a shock. They administered prescribed shocks with the AED and the longshoreman was resuscitated - breathing and his pulse restored. When local EMTs arrived and assessed the longshoreman, they informed the three officers they had saved the man's life. Later, it was learned the longshoreman underwent triple bypass surgery and was recovering at home.

American Maritime Officers represents the licensed officers working aboard the Midnight Sun, who receive medical and firefighting training at the AMO Safety and Education Plan's STAR Center.