<p>Midterms in mailbox today. Mom and Dad are pleased overall; but can someone tell us how our plebes are evaluated/graded in Basic Fire Fighting???</p>
<p>Basic fire fighting is not the "slam dunk" that most of us parents think it will be.
It seems that there is quite a bit of chemistry involved and that makes it harder
than it appears. As you can imagine fires on ships are serious matters and depending on the cargo, can be absolutely disasterous. I think the Academy takes fire fighting very seriously and wants to be sure our mids get it right.</p>
<p>Thanks KPMarineopsdad; you are right about how serious fires on ships can be, and also, about the chemistry! That may explain the lowest grade on son's midterm report-"C"</p>
<p>I seem to remember the Academic Dean telling us on Indoc Day that we'd be receiving grades in the mail...I assume that is all 4 years at KP? Midterms and finals sent to parents? Our son seemed surprised that we'd gotten the midterms and others have suggested only those under age 19 will receive reports???</p>
<p>so if they want us to get fire fighting right we have to take the class first tri of plebe year...yea that makes sense, it should be taking the trimester b4 your first sea year</p>
<p>dont worry we get plenty of fire fighting, we have a firefighting tm right before sea where we actually fight fires then again senior year and we take an advanced firefighting class senior year. and the midterm grades are usually lower than the actual grade because the teachers dont want the kids getting complacent, so some teachers may give c's and d's on the midterm but whether thats accurate or not is up for debate</p>
<p><a href="http://www.dcfp.navy.mil/mc/video/forrestal.htm%5B/url%5D">http://www.dcfp.navy.mil/mc/video/forrestal.htm</a>
It is not possible to have too much firefighting</p>
<p><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chuiyXQKw3I%5B/url%5D">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chuiyXQKw3I</a>
The mids probably see this video in school. I know I did before my squadron
deployed aboard the U.S.S. Midway. It made me sit up in my seat and pay attention during class.</p>
<p>Weve come a long way baby. I look forward to see what the First classmens fire fighting class involves. The Mids are pretty safe on ships these days with all the fire fighting technology and regulations. Fixed CO 2 , a steam extinguishing system, or a fixed foam system for extinguishment of oil fires can be found aboard most ships. SOLAS & NFPA sets the standards for rules on fire protection, fire detection and fire extinction. The NFPA 301book, if not
should be
. laying around in some classroom somewhere to complement their training. The Navy is constantly testing systems & doing cool engineering things. Ive read that older cruise ships all have to be retrofitted with sprinklers by 2009. Thats a gooood thing. We were amazed to see the systems in place aboard one oiler /tanker ship. Nothing like Ive ever seen in the real world. Two stations on the main deck that were enclosed rotating turrets (for lack of a better word) with huge directional hoses for spewing those chemicals. Very cool. Somebody has to know how to work these things so I hope their education moves onto the systems themselves at some point.<br>
Ok. Who just yawned? I heard you.</p>
<p>Ok...I think your mid will find that when they are at sea...</p>
<p>Yea we have extinguishers, dry chemical, foam, water hoses, etc. but in the end if there is any sort of decent fire where there is a fixed fire fighting system...they're probably going to set that off (correct me if I'm wrong DD1...he's the guy to ask, he's a Master...it's his responsiblity!) the other stuff can be used in the house and on deck for smaller stuff...but if that thing gets big and you don't have a fixed system in place...well ha...oyyy</p>
<p>in addition, to anyone who has been to sea...u know just how messed up those fire and boat drills can be...(like chickens with our heads cut off)...who know what would happen in real life when your trying to lower a lifeboat while the ship is at a huge list or waves are sending you 45 degrees one way and 45 degrees the other....i would wager a guess that the biggest thing with safety aboard a ship is prevention...cause once it happens it can be realll bad</p>
<p>
You are right on the mark davy... A fire prevented is a fire sucessfully fought..</p>
<p>do you need to request the grades or are they sent to all parents</p>
<p>
[quote]
do you need to request the grades or are they sent to all parents
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I think your Mid must request who they want their grades shared with.</p>
<p>Especially if he/she is over 18.</p>
<p>If they don't want them shared, no one has any right to see them.</p>
<p>When s was a plebe we were pleasantly surprised to receive his grades in the mail. When I mentioned it, he said he signed a form allowing us to have the grades since he knew we'd bug him about it anyway. Wow! My d, on the other hand, is at a regular school, so we told her if she doesn't share the grades we don't share tuition money. (It worked!) I know there is that over 18 adult thing, but if I'm footing the bill I feel I have a right to see the results.</p>
<p>for our s, class of 2010, the consent paper was in all the paperwork he had to sign and bring to indoc...it is my understanding that as long as that is on file, you will get grades no matter what year they are , all the way to 1c.</p>
<p>I recall it much like KPMom06 & cj. There was a form in the package they took with them. I recall it because son laughingly asked if I wanted to get his reports. I told him to bring me the form so I could see it & it had check boxes on it for if he wanted parents to be sent reports & also if he wanted his nominating source to receive them as well. I get midterms & finals when he is not out to sea.</p>
<p>We haven't seen any grades yet. They came throughout last year but none yet. </p>
<p>This year KP10 seems very calm about his grades. I suppose though it is time to cut the apron strings and not ask him about them unless he wants to talk about them.</p>
<p>KP10sMOM, Bravo!
It's time, (Now is the time for all good plebes.....)</p>
<p>Our Plebes are adults now, able to go to war, able to vote for the Leader of their Country, able to get a tatoo without parental consent, etc. They are learning to advocate for themselves, become accountable & responsible for their work & achievements. They are learning to be the future leaders in our country.</p>
<p>They Made it into USMMA with stellar SAT scores and GPA's. They're equipped with study skills & learning how to manage that precious commodity "TIME". And if they are struggling, they know where to get help.</p>
<p>One thing my "DS" told me before he reported to KP on that historic day on July 5, was "Mom, Please don't ask me about grades. You did it enough while I was in High School. Instead, ask me 'what am I learning', 'How is it affecting me', 'Do I enjoy it'....</p>
<p>Yes, we will be there to catch them when they fall, offer them a kiss or a kick in the pants. But we shouldn't "dig" them out of the hole they may find themselves in. Rather, we should just remind them where the rope & shovel are.</p>
<p>Now let me go to the mailbox & retrieve my DS's first grade report from the finest Military Academy in the USA...</p>
<p>Then, as JAMZMOM suggested, I may go into the garage, jump in the car, put on a little 'Magic Carpet Ride' & blast it LOUDLY, depending on the report ;)</p>
<p>My son said that he thinks only the plebes get progress reports but we still should get the grades at the end of the trimester. </p>
<p>I don't think that it is unreasonable to know the grades at the end of the terms. I think that it shows that we are interested in how they are doing and they are still accountable for how they are doing. If they are doing badly then it is not a suprise to anyone when they have consequences to their actions. This doesn't mean we are holding their hands or digging them out of a hole, just an interest in their life from home just like they should still have an interest in the important things in our lives. Which I don't mean every little detail but the big stuff.</p>
<p>They must use the Pony Express for the NY to Texas route - his finally came in on the 2nd.</p>