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Commercial Fisheries News
Volume 33 Number 10
June 2006
Know where fires start; check engine room
In my last column (see CFN April 2006), we talked about using the “box theory” to protect your safety gear from fire and heat damage. In this second installment of our three-part series, we’ll talk about the common causes and locations of onboard fires.
Of all the onboard dangerous occurrences, I am most fearful of fire. I experienced an engine room fire on my vessel, the Travis & Natalie, and have trained in fire simulators.
Fire is a dynamic event. It can and often does develop with amazing speed, causing intense heat, extensive smoke, and possibly toxic fumes.
Remember, a fire increases 25 times in the first minute and 100 times in the first three minutes. It is essential that crewmembers understand this and develop a sense of urgency in responding to any fire because every minute counts.
Engine rooms
Coast Guard reports state that close to 80 percent of all fires on offshore fishing vessels start in the engine room, while most fires on smaller inshore vessels start in engine compartments and exhaust trunks.
Why engine rooms? Because they contain large amounts of petroleum products like diesel, lube oil, hydraulic fluid, and grease. And most of your electrical equipment, when worn out, misused, or poorly wired, can convert electrical energy to excessive heat rapidly.
For this reason, electrical equipment must be installed properly and maintained and tested regularly. Extension cords to lights or equipment and connections to shore power or generators may be hazardous due to frayed wires, water contact, or poor connections.
Other potential electrical hazard situations involve makeshift connections, exposed light bulbs, faulty electric motors, and charging of storage batteries. Insulation of electrical wires doesn’t last forever; it will become brittle and crack. Vibration and chafing of wires will generate a break or exposure and prompt a short circuit that can generate sparks.
Hydraulic fluid or fuel spraying from a broken line onto a turbo, manifold, or exhaust will vaporize and ignite quickly. The heat from an electrical fire will melt the clear plastic tubing commonly used as sight gauges for fuel and lube oil tanks. If the valve is left open, allowing fuel or oil to drain into the bilge, you now have a potential time bomb on your hands.
Exhaust problems
When fire breaks out on a wooden or fiberglass boat, it’s often due to an exhaust problem. The exhaust is boxed in at the aft cabin, not very visible, and always hot. Over time, the lagging or wrapping around the exhaust can become dry and brittle and, over time, the excessive heat coming off the exhaust radiates into the wood or fiberglass.
Both materials have a moderate flash point, but with exposure to exhaust heat, they may begin to change to charcoal, which has a lower flash point. Even though the change from wood or fiberglass to charcoal may take several days to occur, it can easily go unnoticed.
We are all aware of these fire hazards. However, with the pulse fishing we are now forced into due to stringent fishing regulations, it’s easy to fall into the trap of complacency. For the safety of your vessel and crew, maintain a constant vigil and inspect all potential fire hazards.
Next time, we’ll review the proper steps to take in fighting fire aboard boats of various sizes.
Fred Mattera
NESTCo
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