Investigation and reporting
Governing: STCW Code Table A-VI/3; MAIB 'Report a marine accident' guidance. Builds on: L1.2.
The fourth AFF competence is to investigate and compile reports on incidents involving fire. The knowledge item is assessment of cause; the criterion is that causes of fire are identified and the effectiveness of countermeasures is evaluated. In other words: find out why, and prove the fix works.
Preserve the evidence first
Evidence decays quickly, and a yacht is under pressure to clean up for guests or a charter. Before anything is moved:
- Photograph the scene from the doorway, then in detail, then any items removed.
- Save logs: fire detection panel history, alarm and monitoring system, CCTV, and VDR or S-VDR where fitted.
- Record isolations made and the times.
- Take witness accounts in writing, separately, as soon as practicable.
- Quarantine failed equipment: the charger, the tumble dryer, the fuel line.
- Do not reset panels or clear alarms until the data is saved.
Assessing the cause
| Question | Evidence |
|---|---|
| Where did it start? | Burn patterns, deepest damage, first detector |
| What was the fuel? | Materials at origin |
| What was the ignition source? | Electrical fault, hot surface, heating, human act |
| Why was it not prevented? | Maintenance, procedure, design, training |
| How did it spread? | Doors, ducts, ventilation, conduction |
| How did the response perform? | Times from alarm to muster, attack, extinction |
Reporting
MAIB. The MAIB asks for accidents, including serious injuries, to be reported by the quickest means possible so it can decide promptly whether to investigate and evidence is not lost. The route is the 24-hour accident reporting line (+44 (0)23 8023 2527 at the time of writing), followed by the Accident Report Form (ARF), emailed to the address MAIB gives.
Flag and company. Report under the yacht's SMS to the Designated Person Ashore. Non-UK Red Ensign registries have their own reporting routes; check yours.
Class and insurers. Structural or machinery damage affects class. Hull and P&I insurers need early notice.
WARNING - 'It was only small' A fire you put out in two minutes can still be a reportable accident if someone was seriously hurt or the yacht was damaged. Report, and let the investigators decide.
Closing the loop
The report is not the end. The criterion asks you to evaluate the effectiveness of countermeasures:
- Fix the immediate cause and check similar equipment across the yacht and fleet.
- Revise the pre-plan for that space.
- Brief the crew and run a drill based on what happened.
- Record the corrective action in the SMS and verify it at the next internal audit.
TIP - Write it for someone who wasn't there A good fire report lets a new chief officer, reading it in two years, understand exactly what happened and what changed.