DC school is an eight-week course where students learn to repair and control shipboard hazards. Students stand at the ready outside the port of the firefighter trainer. In weeks 3-4 students learn and apply the skills of firefighting extinguishing systems aboard the ship.
Students extinguish a simulated small-bomb fire in the trainer.
In week five the students are taught how to extinguish a variety of fire hazards including multiple, extreme temperature and engine fires. CS or tear gas can make anyone cry, as the chemical agents in the gas cause irritation and involuntary closing of the eyes and a burning sensation in the respiratory tract. The third and final Hull Division School to migrate to Great Lakes, DC 'A' School came from Treasure Island, Calif. in 1997. A' Schools to form Hull Division at Service School Command. Subsequently the DC rating was split off from HT and became a separate entity.