04/27/2026
On April 10 and 11 the Sturgeon Bay Fire Department hosted a shipboard firefighting review/training.
The class roster included 18 members from Sturgeon Bay Fire, 13 members from Green Bay Metro Fire, 2 members from Marinette Fire, 2 members from Manitowoc Fire, and several members from Fincantieri .
The training consisted of marine terminology, safety considerations, fire control plan interpretation, a review and lessons learned from past vessel fires, establishing water supply, a tour of the Edgar B. Speer, and rescue techniques and considerations for a down firefighter in a high heat, heavy smoke environment.
This training is the first major step in establishing a Northeast Wisconsin Shipboard Firefighting Task Force consisting of Green Bay Metro, Marinette, and Sturgeon Bay. This is a great way for our departments with commercial ship traffic to create a group of highly trained personnel that are familiar with commercial vessels and how to effectively combat a shipboard fire. The intent is to have the ability to use or provide additional resources from/to departments outside of normal mutual aid areas.
This is just a starting point. Once we have established certified training and have revised our MABAS cards to also include task force members, we hope to expand to other local departments.
Many thanks to everyone involved in the planning and ex*****on of this training, and to Fincantieri for arranging access to the shipyard as well as coordinating the use of the Edgar B. Speer.
