Training starts at HMCS Malahat in changed environment

Sailor Second Class Nick Reicker uses binoculars to scout for and identify nautical flags during a recent training exercise off the jetty of HMCS Malahat.

SLt Donald Den
HMCS Malahat Public Affairs Officer
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Last week, the ship’s company of HMCS Malahat, Victoria’s Naval Reserve Unit, marked the start of their 2020 – 2021 training year. However, things look a bit different due to the changed COVID-19 health and safety atmosphere.

Throughout the summer months, the executive team at Malahat designed a plan to keep the routine normal as possible so members could still come into the unit for training nights and conduct their duties while respecting federal, provincial, and Canadian Armed Forces health and safety regulations related to the new COVID-19 environment. 

This was compounded by the fact that while COVID-19 regulations had limited the amount of personnel that could be in the unit over the summer, recruiting was still in full swing with individuals still being sworn as part of the Royal Canadian Naval Reserve.

“We actually saw a huge uptick in the number of people applying during COVID-19 as people looked for alternative employment,” said Petty Officer Second Class James Phillion, Malahat’s recruiting officer. “It was definitely challenging figuring out how to do routine requirements like medicals and FORCE tests, so we had to get a bit creative there.”

Now, in order to limit the amount of personnel in the unit at one time, a typical training week is broken into a Port and Starboard watches, with around 50 per cent of the ship’s company assigned to each. For regular, larger meetings, there is a hybrid model in place with half the attendees being in the unit and half connecting virtually through their computers.

Malahat also looks a bit different on the inside as well with directional arrows on the decks and stairs, messes currently closed, and hand sanitizer stations throughout the unit. In addition, every member of the unit is wearing a mask when moving about or conversing with others outside of their workstation in their department.

Malahat Public Affairs also prepared a COVID-19 health and safety training video that walks personnel through the changes made to keep members safe while still being able to perform their respective duties.

Going forward for the 2020-2021 training year, Malahat will continue to adapt as federal, provincial, and Canadian Armed Forces health and safety regulations are updated to reflect the changing COVID-19 environment.

“I have every confidence that members of HMCS Malahat’s ship’s company will be able to adapt to the changes that have been made, and I look forward to another great training year,” said Commander Cameron Miller, Malahat’s Commanding Officer.

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