Fire onboard: Recommendations for a timely response

Lack of operational readiness of fire-fighting equipment, a centralized chain of command, gaps in training and crew familiarization are some of the factors that can contribute to delayed response times in actual fire incidents. The result can be an increased severity of the fire and thus a greater difficulty in extinguishing it.

Recommendations

• Man entry (of firefighters) may not always be the safest option to extinguish a fire. To avoid exposing the firefighting team to the heightened risk, there may be instances where the use of fixed fire-fighting systems may be a safer and more effective way to fight the fire. Such assessments by the master should, amongst others, take into account the time elapsed between the first reporting or detection of the fire to the time of man entry.
• The ship’s firefighting team is encouraged to note their response time during drills. Such observations should take into account elements such as:

-the time taken for various tasks (headcount, closing fuel valves, closing vents, donning SCBA etc.) before making the man entry,
-location of the fire onboard, and
-how the response time changes over time during subsequent drills.

• While the drills would ensure the readiness of the firefighting team, it is worth recognizing that the response during an actual emergency may be different.

For this reason, we recommend that the master makes a calculated assessment of the situation before authorizing a man entry into a compartment on fire.

[smlsubform prepend=”GET THE SAFETY4SEA IN YOUR INBOX!” showname=false emailtxt=”” emailholder=”Enter your email address” showsubmit=true submittxt=”Submit” jsthanks=false thankyou=”Thank you for subscribing to our mailing list”] SQE Marine has previously advised of actions to be taken as soon as a fire is detected, in order to ensure the safety of the vessel and the personnel:

• General alarm should be sounded;
• Bridge team should be informed;
• Fire party should muster;
• The fire should be isolated, by closing ventilation system, skylights, doors, boundary cooling, etc;
• Before entering the fire space, crew should wear the appropriate PPE and use the proper fire extinguishing system, regarding the type of fire;
• Interested parties should be notified.