Fire on Board the Liberian Passenger Ship Ecstasy, Miami, Florida ...

Appendix B 86 Marine Accident ReportCompetenceKnowledge, understandingand proficiencyMethods fordemonstratingcompetenceCriteria forevaluatingcompetenceControlpassengers andother personnelduringemergencysituationsHuman behaviour and responsesAbility to control passengers andother personnel in emergencysituations, including:.1 awareness of the generalreaction patterns ofpassengers and otherpersonnel in emergencysituations, including thepossibility that:.1.1 generally it takes some timebefore people accept the factthat there is an emergencysituation.1.2 some people may panic andnot behave with a normallevel of rationality, that theirability to comprehend maybe impaired and they maynot be as responsive toinstructions as in nonemergencysituations.2 awareness that passengersand other personnel may,inter alia:.2.1 start looking for relatives,friends, and/or theirbelongings as a first reactionwhen something goes wrong.2.2 seek safety in their cabins orin other places on boardwhere they think that theycan escape danger.2.3 tend to move to the upperside when the ship is listing.3 appreciation of the possibleproblem of panic resultingfrom separating familiesAssessment of evidenceobtained from approvedtraining, practicaldemonstration and shipboardtraining and drills ofemergency proceduresActions of crewmemberscontribute to maintainingorder and controlEstablish andmaintaineffectivecommunicationsAbility to establish and maintaineffective communications,including:.1 The importance of clear andconcise instructions andreports.2 The need to encourage anexchange of informationwith, and feedback from,passengers and otherpersonnelAssessment of evidenceobtained from approvedtraining, exercises andpractical demonstrationInformation from allavailable sources isobtained, evaluated andconfirmed as quickly aspossible and reviewedthroughout theemergency