| Fire Precautions |
The only sure way to avoid the disastrous consequences of a fire at sea is not to have one. All on board have therefore a personal interest in observing all practicable precautions against the outbreak of fire. |
| Smoking |
 See also: 'How
to Quit Smoking'  Fires are often caused by the
careless disposal of burning cigarette ends and matches.
Ashtrays or other suitable containers should be provided
and used at places where smoking is authorised. Care
should be taken to ensure that matches are actually
extinguished and cigarette ends properly stubbed out.
They should not be thrown overboard since there is a
danger that they may be blown back on board. Conspicuous
warning notices should be displayed in any part of the
ship where smoking is forbidden (permanently or
temporarily) and these should be obeyed in all
circumstances. It is
dangerous to smoke in bed. |
| Electrical and other Fittings |
|
Unauthorised persons should not interfere with electrical
fittings. Personal electrical appliances should be
connected to the ship's supply only with the approval of
the electrical officer or the responsible engineer
officer. Notices should be displayed on the notice boards
to this effect. Faulty
appliances, fittings or wiring which are part of the
ship's equipment should be reported immediately to the
head of department. All
electrical appliances should be firmly secured and served
by permanent connections whenever possible. Flexible
leads should be as short as practicable and so arranged
as to prevent their being chafed or cut in service. Makeshift
plugs, sockets and fuses should not be used. Circuits
should not be overloaded since this causes the wires to
overheat, destroying insulation and thus resulting in a
possible short-circuit which could start
a fire. All portable
electrical appliances, lights etc. should be isolated
from the mains after use. It is
important that all fixed electric heaters are fitted with
suitable guards securely attached to the heater and that
the guards are maintained in position at all times.
Temporary arrangements to hang clothing above the heaters
or to dry clothing on the heaters should not be permitted
and drying of clothing should only be carried out by
using suitably designed equipment. When using
drying cabinets or similar appliances care should be
taken so that the ventilation apertures are not obscured
by overfilling of the drying space. As the ventilation
apertures of drying appliances may become blocked due to
accumulations of fluff from clothing, any screens or fine
mesh covers associated with the ventilation apertures
should be regularly inspected and cleaned. The use of
portable heaters should be avoided. However, if they are
used with the ship in port (as temporary heating during
repairs and as additional heating during inclement
weather), the heaters should not be positioned on wooden
floors or bulkheads, carpets or linoleum without the
provision of a protective sheet of a non-combustible
material. Portable heaters should be provided with
suitable guards and care should be exercised when
positioning the heater in relation to furniture and other
fittings in the cabin or other space. Again, drying
arrangements in relation to these heaters should not be
permitted. Personal
portable space-heating appliances of any sort should not
be used at sea and notices to this effect should be
displayed on notice boards . The
construction and installation of electric heaters in
merchant ships and fishing vessels should take due
account, as appropriate, of the requirements of the
relevant Rules and Regulations as expanded by the various
Instructions and Guidance Notes where appropriate. Permanent
electric heaters are normally supplied with installation
instructions by the manufacturers and these should be
carefully followed. |
| Laundry and wet clothing |
| Clothing
or other articles should not be placed over space
heaters, or so close to heaters or light bulbs etc. as to
restrict the flow of air, and thus lead to overheating
and fire. |
| Spontaneous combustion |
| Dirty
waste, rags, sawdust and other rubbish - especially if
contaminated with oil - are dangerous if left lying
about. Heat may be generated spontaneously within such
rubbish which may be sufficient to ignite flammable
mixtures or may become hot enough to set the rubbish
itself on fire. Such waste and rubbish should therefore
be properly stored until it can be safely disposed of as
soon as possible thereafter. Materials in
ships' stores, including linen, blankets and similar
absorbent materials are also liable to ignite by
spontaneous combustion if damp or contaminated by oil.
Strict vigilance, careful stowage and suitable
ventilation are necessary to guard against such a
possibility. If such materials become damp, they should
be dried before being stowed away. If oil has soaked into
them, they should be cleaned and dried, or destroyed.
They should not be stowed in close proximity to oil or
paints, or on or near to steam pipes. |
| Machinery spaces |
| The
seriousness of fire in machinery
spaces cannot be overstressed. All personnel should
be fully aware of the precautions necessary for its
prevention. Such precautions should include the
maintenance of clean conditions, the prevention of oil
leakage and the removal of all combustible materials from
vulnerable positions. Suitable
metal containers should be provided for the storage of
cotton waste, cleaning rags or similar materials after
use. Such containers should be emptied at frequent
intervals and the contents safely disposed of. Wood,
paints, spirits and tins of oil should not be kept in
boiler rooms or machinery spaces. All electric
wiring should be well maintained and kept clean and dry.
The rated load capacity of the wires and fuses should
never be exceeded. |
| Galleys |
Galleys
and pantries present particular fire
risks. Care should be taken in particular to avoid
overheating or spilling fat or oil and to ensure that
burners or heating plates are shut off when cooking is
finished. Extractor flues and ranges etc. should always
be kept clean. Means to
smother fat or cooking oil fires, such as a fire blanket,
should be readily available close to stoves. |
| Hot work |
| The
precautions set out in previous Sections should be
strictly followed to avoid the possibility of fire during welding, flame cutting
or other hot work. |
| Ends |
