Fire-fighting methods, procedures and organisation
Governing: STCW Table A-VI/1-2; REG Yacht Code Annex C; yacht SMS. Builds on: L2.1, L4.1.
Command-level fire control belongs to Advanced Fire Fighting. At basic level you need to understand the plan you are part of, so that you do your piece of it well.
The sequence
| Phase | What happens |
|---|---|
| 1. Alarm | Fire reported; general alarm; bridge takes control |
| 2. Muster and count | Everyone to stations; head count, including guests |
| 3. Locate and assess | Where, what, how big, who is missing |
| 4. Contain | Close doors, stop ventilation, close dampers, start boundary cooling |
| 5. Isolate | Fuel, gas and electrical supplies to the area |
| 6. Attack | BA team with charged hose or appropriate agent |
| 7. Knock-down | Visible flame out |
| 8. Overhaul | Open panels, check voids and hot spots, remove smouldering material |
| 9. Re-ignition watch | Charged hose and a person on watch for as long as needed |
| 10. Restore | Ventilation and power restored only on the order; equipment made ready |
Throughout, the master is also preparing for the worst case: guests at muster, liferafts ready, communications with the Coastguard.
Containment
- Doors: closed doors hold fire and smoke back. Fire doors must never be wedged open.
- Ventilation: stop fans and close fire dampers early. Ventilation feeds the fire oxygen and carries smoke throughout the yacht. Deliberate ventilation to clear smoke is done only on the order and once the fire is controlled.
- Boundary cooling: spray water onto decks and bulkheads above, below and beside the fire. Check them with the back of a hand or a thermal camera, and keep checking.
Isolation
- Fuel: quick-closing valves on fuel tanks, stopping fuel pumps.
- Gas: galley and barbecue LPG.
- Electrical: the space's supply, to protect firefighters and remove a source of re-ignition. For a charging battery, MGN 681 stresses cutting the supply before attacking the fire.
Attack
- Enter low, with the hose charged and the nozzle tested.
- Use spray to cool the atmosphere and protect the team, jet to reach the seat of the fire.
- Aim at the fuel, not the flames.
- Watch for flashover signs: rolling flames at deckhead level, rapidly increasing heat, dense dark smoke.
- Use the least water that does the job; firefighting water adds weight high in the vessel and affects stability.
WARNING — Free surface Large volumes of water on upper decks reduce stability. The master and engineer monitor it; drains and pumps may be used to remove it.
Communications
- Report on a schedule, and whenever anything changes.
- Use plain language: location, what you see, what you are doing, what you need.
- Entry control and the bridge keep a timeline.
Casualties
A person found in a fire space is removed by the BA team to fresh air and handed to the first aid team. The guest and first aid team keeps the head count, looks after guests, and prepares casualties for evacuation (see Elementary First Aid).
In port
A fire alongside may involve shore firefighters. The yacht provides the fire control plan, crew list, guest count, location of the fire, and an officer who knows the ship. Shore teams will not know where the stairways lead.
TIP — Hot debrief After any drill or real event, ten minutes to ask what went well and what did not. Write it down; change the drill.