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Commercial Fisheries News
Volume 35 Number 12
August 2008
Rash of at-sea fires sounds safety alarm
Sinkings and groundings, tows and medevacs. These are the kinds of incidents we routinely describe in our monthly Along the Coast column. While the outcomes of these events can range from miraculous to tragic, they are nearly always a calamity for the people involved.
This month’s column, however, contains several reports of another hazard – fire at sea. At least four commercial fishing vessels in the Northeast region caught fire during the three-week period between June 21 and July 13. Remarkably, no one died or was even critically injured despite the loss of three of the vessels and significant damage to the fourth.
In the three cases we have details for, all the fishermen involved were sufficiently trained to recognize the seriousness of their situation and to respond appropriately.
The crewmen of the Whileaway called the Coast Guard, told officials where they were, and stated the nature of the problem. They also properly discharged a carbon dioxide suppression system that put out the fire in the vessel’s engine room.
The lobstermen onboard the Perry’s Pride II and the Kimberly Marie got into their survival suits. They did what they could to try to fight the fire and, while they weren’t successful, they were prepared to abandon ship and to survive long enough in the water for help to arrive.
At-sea fires rank right up there with the most dangerous and terrifying things that can happen to a fisherman. The incidents reported this month, as well as the loss of the 44' Midnight off Mount Desert Rock on June 17 reported last month, are reminders that every fishing boat is vulnerable.
But there is a lot you can do to minimize the risk of fire. Over the years, Commercial Fisheries News (CFN) safety experts Ann Backus and Fred Mattera have written extensively about fire safety and fire fighting.
A quick review of these articles offers a number of easy-to-follow steps for decreasing the odds of having a fire on board and increasing your chances of fighting and surviving one if it does happen. Steps include checking your boat for improperly stored flammable liquids, oily rags, poorly sealed engine or hydraulics parts that can lead to oil or fuel spillage, and frayed wires that can create sparks.
In one of her columns, Backus discussed a key lesson learned in a fierce fire that destroyed the 47' Gloucester-based Giovanna in 2005 – store your survival suit in a readily accessible place, not in the engine room.
Mattera feels so strongly about this subject that he wrote a detailed, four-part series spelling out exactly how to prevent and fight fires. Of particular note is his observation that fires on smaller wood or fiberglass boats often are the result of exhaust problems.
All of these columns – plus the Commercial Fishing Emergency Checklist that gives family and friends vital information when a vessel is overdue – are available for further reference on the CFN web site at <www.fish-news.com/cfn>. Click on “F/V Safety” under “News” on the left-hand side of the page. Or contact your local Coast Guard station to see about scheduling a free dockside safety exam. As the Commercial Fishing Vessel Safety Examiner’s Association slogan puts it, “Luck favors the prepared.” /cfn/
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