Fires aboard boat cause for major concern
jlrogers±³©
The threat to people is the major concern. If you’re not in a slip, there’s
no place to run except overboard, and that has some disadvantages of its
own. The next concern is property, starting with the boat itself. If you are
in a marina, not only is your boat threatened, but others around will be in
danger as well.
Most sailors have experience with fires, many of them involving stoves. We
had one not too long ago.
Flame sprouted from one of the stove’s burners and licked at the main cabin
curtains. We were anchored at Redfish Island, and had filled — perhaps
overfilled — one of the burners on our alcohol galley stove. When we put a
match to it, the fire erupted.
Fortunately, alcohol fires are easier to deal with than other types. Turning
off the burner and then dousing the already receding flames with water took
care of this one promptly. But water doesn’t work on flammable liquids, and
can be dangerous if you try to use it on electrical fires.
Proper equipment and mental preparation can help sailors keep small fires
from becoming big ones. They can save lives and property.
Halon fire extinguishers are, alas, no longer available. That’s good news
for the environment, but bad news for sailors whose boats catch fire.
Fortunately, alternatives exist. There are several Halon replacements out
there. Other commonly used extinguishers on boats are dry chemical and
carbon dioxide.
A word about the types of fires: Class A fires are solids such as wood,
paper and cloth. Class B fires are liquids such as gasoline, kerosene,
diesel or alcohol. Class C fires are electrical.
Approved hand-portable extinguishers are classified by the Coast Guard as
either B-I or B-II; the B-I extinguishers include four-pound CO2 or two
pound dry chemical extinguishers. B-II extinguishers have 15-pound CO2 or
10-pound dry chemical.
The Halon replacements include FE-241 and FM-200. They work on all types of
fires, but they’re not as effective as Halon. They are expensive. Another is
Halotron I, which also deprives a fire of oxygen, is safe for electronics
and leaves no residue. The smallest listed in the West Marine Catalogue has
five pounds of extinguishing agent and costs about $145. The largest, with
15 pounds of agent, costs about $435.
Dry chemical powder forms a crust over the flame, inhibiting it chemically.
They make a mess, but the largest sizes work on all three classes of fires.
You can buy two of the larger size, each with 2.75 pounds of extinguishing
agent, for under $40.CO2 basically deprives the fire of oxygen.
Any boat with an inboard engine, enclosed spaces or permanently installed
fuel tanks is required to carry one or more Coast Guard-approved fire
extinguishers.
Boats 26 feet and under have to carry one B-I extinguisher. Boats from 26 to
40 feet have to carry two B-Is or one B-II. Boats from 40 to 65 feet have to
carry three B-Is or one B-II and one B-I. If there’s a fixed extinguisher
(in the engine room for example), knock one B-I off the requirements for
each class. Such systems are automatically heat-activated and some can also
be discharged manually from somewhere else on the boat, usually the helm
station.
Those are minimums. The prudent skipper might want to have more than one
type of extinguisher aboard, and more extinguishers than the minimum
required.
The idea is to be prepared with the proper equipment and the right mental
attitude. Attacking a fire with both while it is still small can save a lot
of money. More importantly, it can save lives.
http://galvestondailynews.com/story.lasso?ewcd=fcfc8373f859a532
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jlrogers±³©
Beaten by George W. Bush! Now that's funny!