Fire on your boat
February 12th 2007 02:11
Fire on your boat!
Apart from storms at sea (or even on the local pond) not much seems to scare the boat owner. The risk of collision, grounding, holing, down flooding, whale capsize and mutiny/piracy all seem like something that will or could only happen to someone else. We learn every day that these things happen to boaties but as boaties we tend to disregard them. Fire, however, can be the biggest risk. On an average, every nine days a ship over five hundred tons is lost to fire. These are vessels that are very heavily regulated by state, national and international laws in an attempt to keep them safe. Fire is seldom deliberate so they must be regarded as accidents. How do these accidents happen and how can they be avoided on your boat?
First what chance do you have if fire takes hold of your boat? Fibreglass boats are seen as a source of good fuel. The glass is an oil product like most plastic and given the condition that it sets on fire, it soon burns to the water line in plumes of thick toxic smoke that hopefully smothers you before the flames burn you to death. Grizzly? Yes, but fire is like that. Steel boats have a little more chance but the timber lining inside and the paint is all a good fuel source and though perhaps not as quick as plastic or fibreglass it still is extremely hazardous. Similarly aluminium, ferroconcrete and lastly timber. If fire takes hold, despite the presence of all that water that you sail in, not much will stop it.
Where do fires start in small boats? The galley or barbecue is a prime spot. Gas bottles are now regulated on where they are stored, how they are plumbed into the boat and we should all be aware of LPG being heavier than air and its possibility of sinking into the bilge to sit and wait for a spark to ignite it. Just the spark of the starter motor can be enough to cause a spectacular explosion that will send your dream to the bottom. Oil on the stove top spilling over and bursting on fire is a big hazard. Most boats have fire blankets and unfortunately I have heard of one owner who threw the fire blanket onto the fire expecting the blanket, (still in its plastic container) to miraculously engulf the flames. Many people still try to put out a cooking oil fire with a water based fire extinguisher. Water and oil don’t mix. Electrical faults are another big problem. Faulty wiring, overloaded wiring and negligently wired boats are a danger. Again water based extinguishers may not be too helpful. Water and electricity? What a shocker! Fuel fires are also a killer. How many fishos do I see sitting over their outboard fuel tank drawing hard on a cigarette? Petrol and sparks don’t mix. Diesel is a safer fuel but it will ignite in the right conditions, (a pin hole in your high pressure line aimed at the exhaust or similar.)
Spontaneous combustion is also a source. An old oily rag lying in the bilge or near some stored paint, thinners or metho will easily do the trick. Even a tea towel thrown in a laundry basket is enough if it is well saturated in cooking oil.
Identify any of these risks on your boat and fix them. These are not all the risks and for more contact your state boating authority. Your home has, (or should have) smoke and fire detectors. So you should have the same on your boat. Perhaps one above the engine and generator and one in the vicinity of the galley. They may on occasion offer you false alarms but it is better to go into the galley and find your cook enveloped in a cloud of garlic, chilli and wine fumes than a thick blanket of black smoke!
How to fight a fire? Firstly after identifying the risks, pick out fire extinguishers that will fight that type of fire. Store it near the risk. As I said earlier most boaties buy water extinguishers as they must have something and they are the most readily available. They are not going to put out many fire sources though. Of the six types of fires they will only extinguish wood, paper and plastic fires. Add a powder extinguisher for areas that are likely to have electrical, gas, fuel style fires. Carbon dioxide and vaporising liquid extinguishers are best for electrical and have limited use for anything else. Learn to use your extinguishers. I needed a change of underwear after my metho stove took off out of control in the galley. By the time I removed the oilskins hanging conveniently over the nearest extinguisher and undid the rusty clip holding the extinguisher to the wall, the fire had burnt out. I was a lucky puppy!
First fire a squirt to see if the extinguisher works, No point approaching an inferno and then finding you need to jump for your life because the extinguisher is empty. Then aim at the seat of the fire and for some fires you will need to smother with foam or cool the fuel. Learn to use what you have.
Pay to have your extinguisher checked on a regular basis. This is the law!
Fire is scary and everyone should have an opportunity to escape it. Exits on your boat should be well marked and not blocked off. (Say a roof hatch with a dinghy hauled and tied down over it.) Running through the flames and crashing through glass doors and windows is best left to Hollywood stuntmen.
I hope I have left you wondering if your boat is safe from fire.
Apart from storms at sea (or even on the local pond) not much seems to scare the boat owner. The risk of collision, grounding, holing, down flooding, whale capsize and mutiny/piracy all seem like something that will or could only happen to someone else. We learn every day that these things happen to boaties but as boaties we tend to disregard them. Fire, however, can be the biggest risk. On an average, every nine days a ship over five hundred tons is lost to fire. These are vessels that are very heavily regulated by state, national and international laws in an attempt to keep them safe. Fire is seldom deliberate so they must be regarded as accidents. How do these accidents happen and how can they be avoided on your boat?
First what chance do you have if fire takes hold of your boat? Fibreglass boats are seen as a source of good fuel. The glass is an oil product like most plastic and given the condition that it sets on fire, it soon burns to the water line in plumes of thick toxic smoke that hopefully smothers you before the flames burn you to death. Grizzly? Yes, but fire is like that. Steel boats have a little more chance but the timber lining inside and the paint is all a good fuel source and though perhaps not as quick as plastic or fibreglass it still is extremely hazardous. Similarly aluminium, ferroconcrete and lastly timber. If fire takes hold, despite the presence of all that water that you sail in, not much will stop it.
Where do fires start in small boats? The galley or barbecue is a prime spot. Gas bottles are now regulated on where they are stored, how they are plumbed into the boat and we should all be aware of LPG being heavier than air and its possibility of sinking into the bilge to sit and wait for a spark to ignite it. Just the spark of the starter motor can be enough to cause a spectacular explosion that will send your dream to the bottom. Oil on the stove top spilling over and bursting on fire is a big hazard. Most boats have fire blankets and unfortunately I have heard of one owner who threw the fire blanket onto the fire expecting the blanket, (still in its plastic container) to miraculously engulf the flames. Many people still try to put out a cooking oil fire with a water based fire extinguisher. Water and oil don’t mix. Electrical faults are another big problem. Faulty wiring, overloaded wiring and negligently wired boats are a danger. Again water based extinguishers may not be too helpful. Water and electricity? What a shocker! Fuel fires are also a killer. How many fishos do I see sitting over their outboard fuel tank drawing hard on a cigarette? Petrol and sparks don’t mix. Diesel is a safer fuel but it will ignite in the right conditions, (a pin hole in your high pressure line aimed at the exhaust or similar.)
Identify any of these risks on your boat and fix them. These are not all the risks and for more contact your state boating authority. Your home has, (or should have) smoke and fire detectors. So you should have the same on your boat. Perhaps one above the engine and generator and one in the vicinity of the galley. They may on occasion offer you false alarms but it is better to go into the galley and find your cook enveloped in a cloud of garlic, chilli and wine fumes than a thick blanket of black smoke!
How to fight a fire? Firstly after identifying the risks, pick out fire extinguishers that will fight that type of fire. Store it near the risk. As I said earlier most boaties buy water extinguishers as they must have something and they are the most readily available. They are not going to put out many fire sources though. Of the six types of fires they will only extinguish wood, paper and plastic fires. Add a powder extinguisher for areas that are likely to have electrical, gas, fuel style fires. Carbon dioxide and vaporising liquid extinguishers are best for electrical and have limited use for anything else. Learn to use your extinguishers. I needed a change of underwear after my metho stove took off out of control in the galley. By the time I removed the oilskins hanging conveniently over the nearest extinguisher and undid the rusty clip holding the extinguisher to the wall, the fire had burnt out. I was a lucky puppy!
First fire a squirt to see if the extinguisher works, No point approaching an inferno and then finding you need to jump for your life because the extinguisher is empty. Then aim at the seat of the fire and for some fires you will need to smother with foam or cool the fuel. Learn to use what you have.
Pay to have your extinguisher checked on a regular basis. This is the law!
Fire is scary and everyone should have an opportunity to escape it. Exits on your boat should be well marked and not blocked off. (Say a roof hatch with a dinghy hauled and tied down over it.) Running through the flames and crashing through glass doors and windows is best left to Hollywood stuntmen.
I hope I have left you wondering if your boat is safe from fire.
| 37 |
| Vote |
Subscribe to this blog
