PCOC Emergency Response Protocols 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: You witness a vessel capsizing nearby. What is the correct order of actions?
- Assess safety, alert Coast Guard, approach cautiously, assist survivors (Correct answer)
- Race to the scene immediately at full speed
- Wait for the Coast Guard before approaching
- Sound your horn and continue to your destination
Correct answer: Assess safety, alert Coast Guard, approach cautiously, assist survivors
Assessing your own safety first prevents creating a second emergency while rescuing others.
Question 2: What is the danger of running a generator or engine below deck with hatches closed?
- Carbon monoxide poisoning (Correct answer)
- Excessive fuel consumption
- Engine overheating
- Electrical short circuit
Correct answer: Carbon monoxide poisoning
Carbon monoxide is odorless and colorless; it can incapacitate or kill people rapidly in enclosed spaces.
Question 3: A passenger is showing signs of hypothermia. What should you do first?
- Move them out of the wind and remove wet clothing, then wrap in blankets (Correct answer)
- Give them a hot alcoholic beverage to warm up
- Have them exercise vigorously to generate body heat
- Submerge them in the warmest water available
Correct answer: Move them out of the wind and remove wet clothing, then wrap in blankets
Removing wet clothing and insulating from wind stops further heat loss and begins rewarming.
Question 4: Which signal means a vessel is in distress when no flares or radio are available?
- Slowly raising and lowering outstretched arms repeatedly (Correct answer)
- Waving a single arm quickly overhead
- Flashing a spotlight twice
- Sounding one long horn blast
Correct answer: Slowly raising and lowering outstretched arms repeatedly
Slowly raising and lowering both arms is an internationally recognized visual distress signal.
Question 5: Your fire extinguisher does not reach a fuel fire in the bilge. What should you do?
- Close hatches to cut off oxygen and call for help (Correct answer)
- Open all hatches to vent the fire
- Pour water on the fuel fire
- Continue trying from a different angle
Correct answer: Close hatches to cut off oxygen and call for help
Closing hatches limits oxygen to smother the fire while you call for emergency assistance.
Question 6: What information should you give first when making a MAYDAY call?
- 'MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY' followed by vessel name and location (Correct answer)
- Your name and phone number
- The number of people on board
- The type of vessel and its color
Correct answer: 'MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY' followed by vessel name and location
Repeating MAYDAY three times and immediately identifying your vessel and position lets rescuers respond quickly.
Question 7: A person in the water is conscious but exhausted and can't climb back aboard. What is the safest method to recover them?
- Use a boarding ladder, life sling, or swim platform at the stern (Correct answer)
- Throw them a rope and have them hold on while underway
- Reach over the side and pull them up by their arms
- Have them swim to shallow water and wade ashore
Correct answer: Use a boarding ladder, life sling, or swim platform at the stern
A boarding ladder or life sling provides a safe mechanical advantage to recover an exhausted person without injuring them.
PCOC Emergency Response Protocols 3
You witness a vessel capsizing nearby.
What is the correct order of actions?