New (?) USCG fire extinguisher rules

[Pascal]

That’s a new one to me… in addition to the previous requirements, it turns out that boats over 65’ now need to carry extra fire extinguishers in the engine room based on engine horsepower even when a fixed system is installed. This came up during the annual system inspection on the 110’ I run; the tech said it was a new requirement.

I looked up the CFR and sure enough… what I don’t like is the requirement for the extinguishers to be installed inside the ER. I think having them right outside is a much better option so that in case of an ER fire you don’t have to open the door and then search for the bottles.

So if you have a boat that’s over 65, you ll need to buy extra ones

33 CFR § 175.320

 

[Captain Ralph]

what I don’t like is the requirement for the extinguishers to be installed inside the ER.

33 CFR § 175.320

What happens where your in the engine room, drop a wrench on a battery and start a fire.

So if you have a boat that’s over 65, you ll need to buy extra ones

33 CFR § 175.320

Always thought is was a good idea and have practiced it for many years.
We have in/out hand-held extinguishers for our 58 ER.
Also, auto system in the ER.
Dry-chemical and clean-agent extinguishers scattered thru-out the boat.

I have always recommended this for our past customers.
Our buddies 75 Hatt has hand-helds already in each engine room with yearly inspected CO2 system.
A hand-held in his forward generator room with yearly inspected CO2 system also.

No such thing as to many fire extinguishers. Over 20m (65.6 feet) No excuse not to be prepared.


I do wonder what prompted this update to the rules.
Something happen some where or somebody just woke up with an idea to actually require this new rule.

 

[Pascal]

I agree about having at least one FE in the ER, which we have already but unfortunately with the gens on each side of the door, in case of fire in one of the gen anything mounted inside the ER would Be hard to reach. Remember the big Hargrave that burned in the keys 2 or 3 years ago? Fire started in the ER sound shield.

From the ER, opening the door and grabbing FEs just outside the door will work just as well. I ll probably split them… 2 inside and 2 right outside.

 

[Captain Ralph]

Remember the big Hargrave that burned in the keys 2 or 3 years ago? Fire started in the ER sound shield.

In the gen-set sound shield?

 

[Pascal]

Yes

Very interesting read:

https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Reports/MIR2216.pdf

So, with generators aft by the door (ours is setup the same way), it would be impossible to retrieve the fire extinguishers in case of a generator fire. Safer to have them just outside the doors.

This report raises another question. At what point do you manually trigger the automatic system instead of trying to fight a small localized fire with hand held bottles? The automatic system will shut down all the machinery, blowers and close the dampers. In this case initially the captain only saw smoke. Do you discharge the fixed system at that point?

Finally this once again raised the issue of having to get in the ER to shut down generators and blowers. In our case we can shut the blowers from the helm but not the gens. Same with battery switches, they are almost inside the ER… when I repowered I moved the gen and house battery switch inside a hatch in one of the companion way steps and the mains just inside the door low under the threshold. Safer that way.

 

[Captain Ralph]

With our mains and gen-sets below the saloon deck in a short over head bilge area, I realized if a fire was to break out down there, we needed a large auto systems to survive, even for just some extra minutes.

20 years ago when I made the sound box for our BMZ 30, I decided I did not like just a fire extinguisher port in the box, I wanted an auto system in the box with shut down.
I bought up a pile of 1301 bottles from e-bay. Still have some new in box for use in other places.

One of my better red-neck designs;
A small, auto only, 1301 bottle with shut down module, tied to the ships alarm system is inside our home made sound box with the 30kw set.

I wonder if something like this could of helped the boat Pascal commented on?



Not in a sound box, our lil 9kw gen-set has another lil auto only 1301 bottle very close to it.

Then, two large (over kill) auto/man bottles for the rest of the engine room with shut down modules.

I have a larger 1301 bottle in the next bilge area over my RO systems.

Still, mix types of hand-held extinguishers, doubled up thru the boat including in and outside the ER.

Fire axe in the for/port cabin closet.

I hate the idea of on-board fires. You have to fight it.
You can't walk home when you run out of extinguishing agent.

 

[krush]

On the 890 footer I work on, there's always a fire extinguisher within a quick dash.