Preparations are underway for Resolve Fire & Hazard Response, Inc., a Resolve Marine Group. Inc., company, to host the 6th Annual Damage Control Olympics at their world-renown Shipboard Firefighting Training Center in Port Everglades, Florida on May 1, 2007.

The event, held in conjunction with annual Fort Lauderdale Fleet Week USA and McDonalds Air & Sea Show, is designed to test the abilities of US Navy damage control teams in several facets of shipboard firefighting and emergency response scenarios. Past participating personnel included damage control teams from the USS Shreveport, USS Cole, USS San Antonio, USS Oscar Austin, USS San Jacinto, USS Enterprise, USCG Confidence and the Canadian Navy’s HMCS Preserver.

Events include Shipboard Fire Containment, Turnout Gear Donning and Shipboard Fire Search-and-Rescue and an Emergency Damage Control Scenario. These events are not only timed, but the teams are closely judged on their respective efficiencies and attention to detail they not only have to complete the tasks quickly, they have to complete them properly and in keeping with proper firefighting guidelines.

Teams earn points based on placement overall for each event: 1st place teams in each event score 10 points; 2nd place teams score 7 points; 3rd place teams score 5 points; 4th place teams score 3 points and 5th place teams score 1 point.

In 2006, a stunning victory by the crew from the Canadian Navy’s HMCS Preserver scored a record-setting 40 points.