FIRE IN THE HOLE

The cruise industry was hit with wave after wave of bad reports beginning March 19 when
an unattended cigarette resulted in a fire aboard the Jamaica~bounJ Star Princess ship.
Even though most of the 3.000~plus passengers were not injured, two people suffered smoke
inhalation and nine others experienced minor complications. The story hit close to home
when it was discovered that Georgia resident Richard Liffidge, age 75, died of an apparent
heart attack from the pandemonium.
Indeed, the case of the Star Princess was tragic, but according to reports, the crew acted
properly. Passengers were notified of the fire through the public address system and were
requested [Q report to their muster stations. "They handled it well," said Linda Garrison, an
Atlanta~based travel journalist who writes about cruises for www.abow.com. "I'm surprised
more people \•...eren't injured."
The International Council of Cruise Lines (ICCl) ensures that the cruise industry
provides a safe, healthy and secure ship for passengers and crewmembers alike. In response
to the incident, the ICCl emphasized that ships such as the Star Princess have crews trained
in basic firefighting procedures and that the average response time to a fire is a matter of min~
utes. The officials who investigated the Star Princess fire maintain that even though crews
are trained, passengers should never rest on their laurels. This philosophy explains why every
fCCl cruise ship requires its passengers to participate in a mandatory abandon~ship drill.

JULY 2006 POINTS NORTH 121