The Member Authorities of the Tokyo and the Paris Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) on Port State Control will launch a joint Concentrated Inspection Campaign (CIC) on Fire Safety this autumn.
In light of the growing number of fires that the industry has encountered over the past few years, Mark Robinson Maritime Consultants (MRMC) thought it would be beneficial to expand on what is required for the 2023 CIC and also add some of our own thoughts on fire safety.
This autumn to benchmark against the 2023 CIC, any attending Port State Control Officers will be utilising the questionnaire below to ascertain the basic procedures onboard along with suitable (and approved) firefighting equipment in place.
So how do you make sure you comply and receive zero deficiencies?
Drill, Drill, Drill! MRMC are leading Flag State surveyors for various Administrations. So when we attend a yacht or ship, we undertake a fire exercise involving the whole crew. Unfortunately, the crew seem to think we want to see them all dressed in fire suits, Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) – the whole gambit!
The point that we try and get across, is that Detection, Investigation, Raising the alarm and First aid fire fighting (in the first instance) are of paramount importance. If the fire can be bought under control and extinguished quickly, the need to get ‘suited and booted’ as the first reaction, wastes time and gives the fire a seat in which it will grow rapidly.
Follow these 4 key actions:
1.Detection: usually via an addressable system, with an identified loop, compartment name/number, deck location etc. CCTV is also a very useful detection tool.
2.Investigation: Some smoke heads are faulty; some heads are activated by steam coming from a shower; some (mainly in the galley) could be the toaster – it happens! In any case, immediate investigation should be undertaken (preferably by 2 or more persons) and in every case, the investigation team should be picking up portable extinguishers with them (A,B,C classes) to immediately deal with the fire.
3.Alarm: Yacht crew generally carry UHFs with them – a good tool for raising the alarm. On ships, VHFs or Internal communication systems. Hitting a manual call point is also a useful way of raising the alarm.
UHFs are forgotten, there is no local communication system near you – what now? We are all equipped with an excellent tool – our voice.
It is called a Loud Vocal Alarm (LVA) and is repeated at least 3 times.
FIRE, FIRE, FIRE
MRMC have undertaken this LVA exercise with a number of crew and some are reticent to shout. Apart from reporting a man overboard it’s probably the only time you will need to shout. Do not be embarrassed, do not hesitate – it’s for the benefit of all.
4. First Aid Fire Fighting: ABC portable extinguishers, fire hose reels etc. in your hand when discovering a fire is for your protection and to extinguish the fire. There is no point investigating if there is a fire, finding there is one, and you have nothing immediate to hand to extinguish it with. Remember to ‘prove’ the extinguisher before tackling the fire. Organise a constant delivery of extinguishers suitable for the class of fire.
Should there be a number of dry powder (DP) extinguishers being used, remember they vastly effect visibility in the compartment and have a detrimental effect on the user. Unfortunately, these are the cheaper type of extinguisher and are widely dispersed on yachts and larger vessels.
Of course, each scenario is different. A fire in the engine room is not the same as a wastepaper basket on fire. A Li-ion battery fire is not the same as a cooking oil fire in the galley but in most scenarios, if, where possible, the investigation team are well equipped, have raised the LVA, a more suitable outcome is achieved rather than wasting 15 minutes getting dressed, rolling out hoses etc. without having even investigated the space compartment. This is especially important on GRP/FRP yachts where the fire may very quickly grow out of control.
Stay Safe, Be Compliant.