Fighting a Fire on Board: Engine Room, Galley, BA and EEBD

FIRE: the first actions for any fire on board

In short: Read first: the fire triangle and portable extinguishers and fire prevention, detection and fixed systems. Whoever finds a fire works through FIRE: Find, Inform, Restrict, Extinguish or Escape. Then the whole ship closes the fire in, cuts its fuel and air, and fights it from the boundaries.

• F — Find: where is the fire, what is burning, is anyone inside? Smoke, a detector alarm or a smell are your first clues.
• I — Inform: raise the alarm at once (manual call point, shout, phone the bridge). A fire reported in the first minute is a small fire.
• R — Restrict: shut the door on the fire, stop the air and the fuel. Keep the fire in one space.
• E — Extinguish or Escape: attack the fire only if it is small and you have the right extinguisher and a clear way out behind you. If not, get out and close the door.

The key points not to forget

• Run FIRE (Find, Inform, Restrict, Extinguish or Escape).
• Close the fire doors.
• Close the watertight doors.
• Close the fuel shut-off valves (quick-closing valves) to the space.
• Muster the crew and count heads, following the ship’s emergency organisation.
• Start boundary cooling around the fire space.

You’re the OOW: fire alarm on watch

In short: On the bridge your job is to make the ship safe while the fire party makes the space safe. Raise the alarm, call the Master, know your position, and use course and speed to help the fire-fighters.

• Check the fire panel: which detector or zone? Send someone to look, or ask the engine room if it is in the machinery space.
• Sound the alarm and call the Master. Note the time and position.
• Muster: the emergency team goes to the fire, the back-up team stands by, the interior team counts people.
• Close down: fire doors, watertight doors, ventilation fans and fire flaps for the area; fuel valves on the Master’s or Chief Engineer’s order.
• Ship handling: alter course and speed so the wind keeps smoke and flames away from the accommodation and the fire party, and reduce the airflow over the fire. Check sea room, depth and traffic first.
• Communications: tell the Coastguard or nearby ships early. Be ready to send an urgency or distress message on the Master’s order (see distress signals).
• Log times, positions and actions as you go.

Engine room fire: step by step

In short: An engine-room fire is fed by fuel, oil and forced air. Raise the alarm, tell the bridge, shut the ventilation, muster, close doors and fuel, and fight it with portable means first. The fixed CO2 system is the last resort.

1. Raise the alarm.
2. Inform the bridge at the earliest opportunity.
3. Shut all ventilation: stop the fans and close the fire flaps, so the fire gets no fresh air.
4. Muster the crew and count heads.
5. Investigate: find the seat of the fire and what is burning.
6. Close the watertight and fire doors.
7. Escape routes: engine-room staff must know the emergency escape and tunnel escape routes by heart, in the dark and in smoke.
8. Consider closing the fuel cut-offs (remote quick-closing valves).
9. Extinguish by conventional means (portable extinguishers, hoses, foam) before using the fixed smothering system (for example CO2, or a gas system such as NOVAC 2000).
10. Contain the fire in this order: 1. boundary cooling, 2. boundary starvation, 3. ventilation control (next section).
11. Fixed CO2 is the last resort.
12. Rescue injured people as soon as it is safe to do so.
13. First aid parties stand ready — burns and smoke inhalation are the usual injuries (see burns first aid).

Boundary cooling, boundary starvation, ventilation control

• Boundary cooling: steel carries heat. A fire can light paint, cables or stores on the other side of a hot bulkhead or deck. Spray water on every boundary of the fire space — bulkheads on all sides, the deck above and, where you can reach it, the deck below. Where water turns to steam, the boundary is still hot.
• Boundary starvation: take away the fuel next door. Move combustibles (stores, paint, mattresses, oily rags) away from the boundaries of the fire space.
• Ventilation control: keep the fire short of air. Fans stopped, fire flaps and doors shut, skylights closed. Open a space only when you choose to, with hoses ready.
• Watch stability: every tonne of fire-fighting water stays on board. Water collecting high up or with a free surface reduces stability, so pump it out where you can.

The fixed system: why it is the last resort

• Releasing CO2 means giving up the space: everyone must be out and counted, and the space sealed (fans stopped, flaps shut, fuel valves closed) before release.
• CO2 smothers but hardly cools. Open the space too early and the fire can re-ignite. Wait, keep boundary cooling going, and re-enter only in breathing apparatus with a hose team ready.
• The full release and re-entry rules (MGN 354 (M+F)) are in the fixed fire-fighting systems topic linked at the top of this page.

Galley fire

In short: The typical galley fire is burning cooking oil or fat (class F). Galley kit: a wet chemical extinguisher for cooking oil and fat, and a fire blanket. Never use water on burning oil.

• Turn off the heat (cooker, fryer, power) at the source if you can do it safely.
• Small pan fire: lay the fire blanket over the pan to smother it, leave it in place and let the oil cool. Do not carry the pan outside.
• Larger fat fire: use the wet chemical extinguisher. It cools the oil and forms a soapy layer on top that keeps the air out.
• Never water: water sinks into hot oil, boils instantly and throws burning oil across the galley.
• Stop the galley exhaust fans and close the duct damper: grease in the duct can carry the fire through the ship.
• On SOLAS ships, deep-fat cooking equipment has its own fixed fire-extinguishing system, tested to ISO 15371 (SOLAS II-2/10.6.4; IMO MSC.1/Circ.1433).

Paint locker fire

In short: A paint locker is full of fuel in closed tins. A fire there brings three problems: explosion, heat build-up and toxic fumes.

• High risk of explosion: paint, thinners and solvents give off flammable vapour, and heated tins can burst.
• Excessive heat build-up: a small, packed space gets very hot very fast. Boundary cooling of the locker is essential.
• Toxic, overpowering fumes from the contents: nobody goes near without breathing apparatus.
• Keep the door shut, cool the boundaries, and use the locker’s fixed system where one is fitted. Paint lockers have their own fire protection rules (SOLAS II-2/10.6.3). A typical fixed system for a larger locker: CO2 for at least 40% of the gross volume, dry powder at 0.5 kg/m³, or water spray at 5 l/m² per minute (Liberia Marine Notice FIR-002).

Breathing apparatus and the fire-fighter’s outfit

In short: Fire-fighters entering smoke wear a self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA): open-circuit compressed air, at least 1,200 litres of air, good for at least 30 minutes (MSN 1665 (M) Amdt 1, Schedule 5, 5.2.3; MCA MSIS 12, 9.1.2.1). All SOLAS ships carry at least two fire-fighter’s outfits (SOLAS II-2/10.10.2.1).

The SCBA: numbers to know

• Type: open-circuit compressed air only. Smoke-helmet and smoke-mask types are no longer permitted (MSN 1665 (M) Amdt 1, 5.1–5.2).
• Air: at least 1,200 litres of free air carried by the wearer (5.2.3), enough for at least 30 minutes (MSIS 12, 9.1.2.1). Hard work and stress use air much faster.
• Supply: automatic demand valve for breathing up to 85 litres per minute, with a manual override (bypass) to give more air (5.2.4).
• Gauge: a pressure gauge the wearer can read directly (5.2.5).
• Low-pressure warning: an audible alarm (usually a whistle) and a visual device, working at about 55 ± 5 bar, before the air falls below 200 litres (MSIS 12, 9.1.2.3). Required on all fire-fighter’s outfit SCBA since 1 July 2019 (IMO MSC.338(91)). When it sounds: leave now.
• Weight: at most 16 kg, without lifeline and harness (5.2.6).
• Spare air: spare cylinders holding at least 2,400 litres per set (in practice two spare charges). With 5 or more sets the total need not exceed 9,600 litres. If the ship can recharge cylinders with clean air: 1,200 litres per set, total not over 4,800 litres (5.2.7; MSIS 12, 9.1.2.1).
• Cylinders: steel or carbon composite, 200 or 300 bar; all interchangeable; steel cylinders inspected and hydrostatically tested at least every 5 years (MSIS 12, 9.1.9–9.1.11).
• Drills: the ship needs a way to recharge cylinders used in drills, or enough spare training cylinders, marked as such (SOLAS II-2/15.2.2.6; MSIS 12, 9.1.12).
• Use in pairs where possible, and practise in fire drills (MGN 71 (M+F) Amd 1, 7.6).

Lifeline and line signals

• Each BA has a fireproof lifeline clipped by a snap-hook to the harness or a safety belt (MSN 1665 (M) Amdt 1, 5.2.10). MSN 1665 asks for a line 3 m longer than needed to reach any part of the space from clean air on the open deck; MSIS 12 asks for at least 30 m, tested at 3.5 kN for 5 minutes (9.1.4).
• Signal plates with the line code are fixed to the harness and to the free end of the line (5.2.10.4).
• Signals by short, sharp pulls (MSIS 12, 9.1.5). Always acknowledge by repeating the signal.

The fire-fighter’s outfit

• Personal equipment (FSS Code ch. 3, via Isle of Man TAN 004-24):
  • protective clothing that protects the skin from radiant heat, burns and steam scalds, with a water-resistant outer surface;
  • boots of rubber or other electrically non-conductive material;
  • a rigid helmet against impact;
  • gloves.
• Plus: the SCBA with spare cylinders, the lifeline, an explosion-proof safety lamp that lasts at least 3 hours (MSIS 12, 9.5.1) and a fire axe with a short, high-voltage-insulated handle (9.4).
• Radios: at least two two-way portable radios per fire party, explosion-proof or intrinsically safe, on ships built on or after 1 July 2014 (older ships by the first survey after 1 July 2018) (IMO MSC.338(91); MSIS 12, 9.3).
• How many: at least two outfits on all SOLAS ships; more on passenger ships and tankers (SOLAS II-2/10.10.2).
• Stowage: in a marked locker with a list of contents, easy to reach, not likely to be cut off by fire, and lit from the emergency power supply (MSIS 12, 9.1.6).

EEBD: emergency escape breathing devices

In short: An EEBD is a small air or oxygen set used only to escape from a space with a hazardous atmosphere. It lasts at least 10 minutes. It is not for fighting fires (FSS Code ch. 3, 2.2; IMO MSC/Circ.849).

• Not for: fighting fires, entering oxygen-deficient voids or tanks, or wearing by fire-fighters. Those jobs need an SCBA (FSS Code 2.2.1.2).
• Duration: at least 10 minutes of service (FSS Code 2.2.3.1).
• Design: a hood or full face piece protecting eyes, nose and mouth, of flame-resistant material with a clear window; carried hands-free until used; protected from the environment when stowed; short instructions or diagrams printed on it, and quick, easy donning (FSS Code 2.2.3.2–2.2.3.5).
• Number in accommodation (SOLAS II-2/13.3.4):
  • all ships: at least two in the accommodation, plus spares on board (UK guidance: cargo ships 2 + 1 spare, MGN 215 (M+F));
  • passenger ships: at least two in each main vertical zone;
  • more than 36 passengers: two more in each main vertical zone.
• Machinery spaces: EEBDs ready for use at easily visible places that can be reached quickly in a fire, placed to suit the layout and the number of people working there (SOLAS II-2/13.4.3); for example along escape routes, at the foot of escape ladders, in the control room and workshop (MSC/Circ.849, 4.6). Their number and location are shown on the fire control plan.
• Training: part of basic safety training. Put the EEBD on before leaving a space where the air becomes dangerous: you may meet smoke on the way out. Training units are clearly marked (MSC/Circ.849, 6.1–6.3).
• Other uses: escaping from a machinery space after an accidental CO2 release; fire-fighters may carry one to give to a casualty (MSC/Circ.849, 6.4).

Fire drills and training

In short: Each crew member does at least one fire drill every month; drills within 24 h of leaving port if more than 25% of the crew missed last month’s drills on board (SOLAS III/19.3.2). The full drill rules sit with the ship’s emergency organisation (musters and drills), linked above.

• What a fire-fighter must know, in order: what fire is (the fire triangle) → the classes of fire → the extinguishing media (portable extinguishers, fixed systems, hoses and nozzles, the international shore connection, fire blanket) → the equipment (BA, outfit, EEBD) → causes of fire and prevention → what to do in case of fire (FIRE and the actions on this page).
• In the drill: assume a fire in a different place each time; start the fire pumps and lay out hoses; close fire doors, vents and openings; exercise the fire party in BA and protective clothing, in pairs; check safety lamps and other kit (MGN 71 (M+F) Amd 1, 7.3–7.6).
• Watertight doors in the drill area are checked during fire drills (MGN 71 (M+F) Amd 1, 8.2).
• Crew not in fire parties must know the extinguishers in their own work areas and which one suits which fire (MGN 71 (M+F) Amd 1, 7.7).
• Escape: everyone should know the escape routes well enough to get out in darkness or smoke (MGN 71 (M+F) Amd 1, 7.8).