Have you done any fire fighting?

[VO5]

Well, SWMBO has given me two frights in the galley..

The first one happened when we were at anchor one evening...

I detected a burning smell from the cockpit and could not work it out....I thought the smell was drifing across from somewhere else....until I investigated below....

The cooker has a worktop that fits over it.

The cooker has an automatic ignition..when you turn and press one of the knobs it lights up a ring...or the oven...

She had been wiping the front of the cooker and in doing so ignited one of the rings under the worktop..

Fortunately the flame was very small and just scorched the underside of the worktop that is laminated both sides...and this is what made the smell..

 

[VO5]

The second one was a bigger fright but equally silly.

There were two pans in the oven. In order to stop them clanking when underway she had packed them in there with newspaper..

Now I come along and want a mug of tea...I press the wrong button and ignite the OVEN..

The newspaper inside flares up...lots of smoke..and flames..

I thought...."carbonaceous"...so I pulled the paper out and put it in the sink and run the water..but the stink lasted all afternoon.

The Lesson ?

Silly mistakes can cause fires.

 

[VO5]

Now in the galley there is a strict drill:~

If the cooker is not being used...the main gas tap must remaiun OFF.

 

[prv]

There seems to be a gap in the market for an inflation kit either with a moderately priced dinghy or as an add-on

You'd probably find no manufacturer would touch it, because the result wouldn't be certifiable as a liferaft. I think this is what happened to the Tinker canopy kit - it went away before the dinghies themselves did.

Might also have trouble selling it, because a big part of the liferaft appeal is its image as a magic box that will save you with the pull of a string. People know how hard their dinghies would be to maneouvre in a crisis, but don't consider whether a liferaft might be just as difficult. (Not meant to be an argument against having a raft, by the way - every little helps.)

As I said elsewhere, if I were fitting out my ideal boat it would have a sizeable solid dinghy on deck as a tender. I would look on that as my lifeboat, with a canopy and an inflatable collar for stability that got laced into place (deflated) before any serious voyage.

Pete

 

[Seajet]

I'd already realised the elf n'safety lot ( remember Snow White's motto, " as long as you've got your elf " ) would be against it, but was talking about the real world, which I suppose still exists in theory ?!

 

[robertj]

This thread is like top trumps with fires and experience. one of the best piece of advice I feel is the garden sprayer after the rapid deployment of an extiguisher this would help and with the long lance nozzle could poke into an engine room too.

 

[robertj]

Starfish has come up with two very good points here.
Firstly the garden sprayer as I mentioned previously and seconly a very good piece of advice which I had overlooked is the Dry Powder Caking. Most boaters wont carry, AFFF, hyperfog systems or indeed full inert flooding systems for engine bays etc., or tow behind a fully equipped fire engine with specialised ship firefighting crew but do carry Dry Powder Extinguishers.

Perry mentioned about the caking effect within the extinguisher which will make it totally useless.
How many of us actually look at our extinguishers and shake them to agitate the powder inside. If you don't you just as well not have them at all!!!
Well done perry

 

[Searush]

This thread is like top trumps with fires and experience. one of the best piece of advice I feel is the garden sprayer after the rapid deployment of an extiguisher this would help and with the long lance nozzle could poke into an engine room too.

Fairy Nuff, my intention was to glean gems from peoples' actual experience of small boat fires. Some of which we have certainly had. Not sure about the garden hose idea - where would the supply of pressurised water come from if I wasn't tied to a marina pontoon (rare event for Sea Rush)?

 

[reginaldon]

Did a ship firefighting and damage control course in the Andrew in 1950; the most memorable part was when the CPO instructor showed us how NOT to put out an oil fire - ie. with a solid jet of water - it worked far better then the instructor imagined it could - he took to his heels and only just managed to avoid a shampoo of burning oil.
The Navy completely denied that it was burning oil, which was liberally soiling all the washing in St Budeaux.

 

[robertj]

Searush

ok

recenly retired from the fire service after 30 odd years.
Experience for 20 yes member of the specialised ship firefighting team out of Falmouth working in conjucgion with the coast guard.

Attended in the region of 5 large ship fires ranging from bulk carriers to LPG ships between Falmouth harbour to off the coast of France jersey west of scillies to mid English channel.
Trained in advanced helicopter survival and dunker trainedto liftraft survival in real gale conditions.
On those ships did search and rescue for casualties whom we never found to guiding crew from burning vessels in conjucgion with the life boat
in mid 80's put out countless small fires on Russian clondykers from cabin fires to holds to. Engine rooms to severe deck fires.
Going on further to small yachts, motor boats, dinghys from on the water to in boats yards.
Set up realistic training setting an old large boat onfire in a nearby mud berth to simulate difficulties in firefighting.
Attended so many firefighting courses I can't remember to visiting HMS Havoc for flooding prevention/firefighting on numerous occasions.
A member of the CCFB advisory panel to progress ship fire fighting at sea. A member of the helicoptor resourse panel.
Working with merv kettle (national lead officer) in the early days setting up the National Ship firefigting proceedures.

Been to countless factory, house, car fires etc etc etc.




Attended a really tragic fire on a house boat where the young couple lost their lives using the wrong black hose to their gas appliance from ashore (this ended my love of the job and was never the same again)

 

[robertj]

Tried to correct a few spelling but on iPhone so bit difficult.
Final point I wished ti make is that all the experience means nothing if when in anger you need that aging dry powder it doesn't work thru lack of maintainence.

 

[prv]

Not sure about the garden hose idea - where would the supply of pressurised water come from if I wasn't tied to a marina pontoon?

He didn't suggest a garden hose, but one of those hand-pumped weedkiller sprayers with a mist nozzle. Like this.

Dual use, since the Pardeys (and others) suggest them as a low-maintenance alternative to a pressure water system for showering on board

Pete

 

[Searush]

Sorry, Robert, my mistake.

I didn't mean to annoy you & I wasn't "poo-poo'ing" the idea, I simply missed the reference to the garden sprayer concept.

I can see exactly how effective that would be as there is usually a plentiful supply of water freely available nearby.

 

[robertj]

searush

no sorry you didnt annoy me thought the learning was more benificial than the experience.
No offence taken really

bob

 

[fire999]

Hi all

Thought id have a say..FWIW

I have spent most my working life in the Fire protection industry, from a humble service engineer to senior management through to building a successful national fire protection service business.

I spend my days working with businesses and commerce delivering tailored fire safety training courses, All conclude with hands on practical fire extinguisher demonstrations, where delegates get an opportunity to use the different types of extinguishers on real live fire scenario's.

In conversations with people i meet as a boat owner it is many boats still have halon extinguishers installed.

very few boats have their hand held or automatic engine room extinguishers serviced regularly

Multiple automatic extinguishers wrongly fitted to protect a engineroom where a single unit should be specified.

Most manufacturers do not install UK spec Kitemarked extinguishers (cheaper chinese units)

or Fire blankets

I could go on but i wont..

stand back and wait for action

 

[prv]

Multiple automatic extinguishers wrongly fitted to protect a engineroom where a single unit should be specified.

I'm curious - why is this a problem? Perhaps because they might go off one after another and no single one is enough to put the fire out?

Pete
(Single automatic in my engine bay)

 

[mikemonty]

Blue dragon I think it was asked on teh Lidl Extinguisher thread if any one had experience of fighting fire on a boat & thought it might make a decent thread - so here is that thread!

I've not fought a fire in a boat, but I did put out an oven fire in a clubhouse once, using a Dry Powder unit. It certainly dealt with the fire quite quickly, but the white powder was EVERYWHERE! I was glad I wasn't required to clean it up afterwards.

I like several others here did a firefighting course when I was in the MN.

Which served me sell when I - like another here - set fire to a spirit stove on my boat - but served me not as well as the Gentleman who saw the heat shimmer coming out our companionway and my wife and kids about to take to the dinghy as I heroically turned the dry powder extinguiser on the (significaant and getting significanter) fire just to feel the trigger disintegrate in my hand.
He arrived at the side of my boat in his dinghy and handed me two or more dry powder units which got discharged into the fire which was now under the fire blanket and seemingly enjoying it.
To hell with the mess - I was happy to still have my boat - and I didn't miss my eyebrows at all.
Took me all winter to clean the boat, dress up the GRP headlining which had popped big red hot blisters over everything and just about started secondary fires on the upholstery. And I didn't bitch about it once.

 

[fire999]

prv - Pete

Yes your right, you must have the required quantity of medium for the size of the risk enclosure using a single unit only (unless the individual units will activate simultainiously via electronic or pneumatic actuation) , as that is the only way of guaranteeing the fire will be extinguished completely, you must ensure that the medium does not escape from the risk area post discharge to ensure no re-ignition also.