When in doubt, blame the victim

A report in the Globe and Mail suggests that beards were a significant contributing factor to the casualties on board HMCS Chicoutimi:

Navy brass ignored a safety warning earlier this year by the military's chief fire marshal that beards on sailors could reduce the effectiveness of emergency oxygen masks, which are supposed to be tight-fitting to prevent smoke inhalation while fighting fires.

Many of the sailors aboard the problem-plagued HMCS Chicoutimi were bearded, navy officials said yesterday, and the board of inquiry into last week's fatal fire aboard the submarine is investigating whether this was a factor in how quickly and effectively crew members were able to battle the blaze in the cramped, smoke-filled quarters.

To be fair, this may well be a safety factor, but the timing suggests that someone is trying to divert attention away from the government's role in the fiasco. Submariners probably should have to stay clean-shaven, due to the higher risk that they will need to don breathing apparatus compared to surface fleet sailors: I don't know, I've never been in the navy.