This week’s questions dealt with the classification of the various fires you might experience on board.  In light of the fact that some of those who responded to the question were from places other than the US I did some more research to ensure I presented the correct answers to the international community watching this site.  As I explain the answer to each question I will post the differences between the US and European and/or Australian Classifications.  So, even this Old Salt learned something new this week about fire classification.

Question 1 asked, What are the 4 classifications of fire we could experience onboard?

US          European/Australia

A                         A                   (Ash fires), paper, wood, refuse

B                         B                  (Boil) Flammable liquids such as  gas and oil

–                         C                  Flammable Gases

C                          E                  (Current) Electrical Fires, involving electrical current

D                         D                  Flammable Metals

K                          F                   (Kitchen) Cooking oils and fats

Question 2 The Coast Guard requires us to carry a fire extinguisher rated for B type fires.  The number and physical size of fire extinguishers we carry are dependent on boat size.

Question 3. Of all the classes of fire we could have onboard we are least likely to have the ability to extinguish a fire involving Flammable Metals, a “D” class fire.

Question 4.  Our onboard source of a class D fire is our Flares.

0230-FIRE, FIRE, FIRE, FIRE IN THE ENGINE ROOM, ALL HANDS TO EMERGENCY STATIONS!!

The call no captain or crew wants to hear, the call that instantly starts adrenaline flowing.  Fire is also the one at sea emergency that can require an immediate ABANDON SHIP order with no time to gather much in the way of survival gear.  Even flooding, other than a catastrophic hull breach, gives us time to gather survival gear.  But, Fire, once ignited will double in size every 3-5 minutes (timing depends on several environmental factors and, which agency is doing the testing).  Left unchecked for even a few minutes a fire can become uncontrollable.  Keep in mind that even if the flames of the fire don’t force you to abandon ship the smoke and poisonous gasses may force you to quit attempting to extinguish the fire.

You must ask for your doctor’s advice regarding using cialis generico canada OTC medication to treat sexual dysfunction. levitra best price amerikabulteni.com For more information about chiropractic treatment please visit our Website. Spinal cord is very sensitive and it can amerikabulteni.com levitra shop buy leave bad impacts to user. canada viagra no prescription This all is a result of high intention, hardwork, skillful execution and intelligent direction; it represents the judicious choice of many alternatives. The little fire extinguishers we carry only hold 10 seconds worth of fire fighting material.  Tests of fire extinguishers by people like Underwriters Labs have shown that once ignited fiberglass and diesel fuel are nearly impossible to extinguish with what we carry onboard for fire extinguishing, and these are test done in the lab! Think about what this means when we need to extinguish a fire in the field!

Each year this is proven to be the case as Yachts are lost to uncontrollable fires, sometimes the causes are known most of the time since the vessels have burned to the waterline and sunk the cause can only be speculative.  But, the one common thread, the fires were undetected until they were uncontrollable and both fiberglass and fuel became involved.  In all cases, once the fire was detected the crew was immediately forced to abandon ship with the vessel completely engulfed in flame within minutes of detection.

For a fire to occur three things are initially needed, Oxygen, heat, and fuel.  Remove any one item and fire will not occur.  Most fire extinguishers work by removing Oxygen from the mix by either smothering as in the case of Dry Chemical fire extinguishers or removing the fire’s supply of Oxygen by smothering with Carbon Dioxide.  There is also a fourth element of fire, and that is the chemical reaction of fire or heat turning a solid fuel or liquid into a gas.  Automatic engine room fire extinguishing systems using HFC-227ea work by disrupting this chemical reaction and are thus very effective at extinguishing a fire.

Fire Extinguishers; For US Class A, B, and K fires.  Most common world-wide are Dry Chemical also known in parts of the world as Dry Powder.  Common chemical agents are Sodium Bicarbonate (baking soda), Potassium Bicarbonate, or Monoammonium Phosphate.  These agents extinguish a fire by smothering it. Dry Chemical fire extinguishers are relatively maintenance-free and inexpensive but when used leave a difficult mess, of light dry powder, to clean up that rapidly clogs vacuums.  When used on electrical systems or electronics they are corrosive and will damage your systems.

Fire Extinguishers containing CO2 or Carbon Dioxide work by removing oxygen and cooling.  Units containing HFC-227ea (Halon replacement) work by disrupting the chemical reaction of the fire.

Class C fires are electrical fires involving current.  We cannot extinguish this type of fire as long as electrical current is present.  Thus, shutting off electrical current removes current from the equation and the fire is no longer a Class C fire but is now rated by the materials that are burning.

An example of this is a fire I experienced several years ago on a delivery boat.  We had been motoring for several hours when smoke began pouring out of the starboard quarter cabin.  Investigating we found the bulkhead behind the door smoldering and the Battery Isolator melted.  Shutting off the battery switches removed current from the failed Isolator allowing it to cool and a little water cooled the smoldering bulkhead.  Once the current was shut off we were left with a Class A fire that luckily hadn’t yet broken out into flames!

Class D fires require special powders (not to be confused with the dry chemical fire extinguishers), to extinguish. Fire extinguishers for this type of fire use specialized powders such as sodium chloride, graphite, copper, depending on the metal involved and generally not used by the general public.

Depending on the Flammable Metal involved in a Class D fire, using a Dry Chemical fire extinguisher on it can have disastrous results as some flammable metals may react violently with some of the ingredients used in Dry Chemical Fire Extinguishers. Since we cannot extinguish this type of fire it is imperative we avoid this type of fire by properly stowing and using signaling flares of any type.

Class K fires, those that involve cooking oils and materials in the galley are best extinguished by smothering, either with wet towels or baking soda.  Under no circumstances use water!  When water is thrown onto a cooking oil fire it sinks beneath the oil, remember water is heavier than oil, where it begins to boil.  The oil on top of the water acts as a lid, allowing pressure to build in the boiling water.  When the pressure overcomes the weight of the oil the water will explode upwards, throwing flaming oil and spreading the fire!

When it comes to fire the best way to fight is to PREVENT fire!  Keeping our engine rooms clean, insuring hoses carrying fuel are properly fastened, chafe prevented, and replaced at least every 10 years will help prevent engine room fires.  Following proper wiring protocols, using the correct wire size, fusing all circuits, securing wires so they cannot chafe will help prevent electrical fires.  Properly stowing and using flares of any type will prevent class D fires.  Properly storing flammable and combustible liquids such as gasoline, painting and fiberglassing materials like thinners and acetone will prevent Class B fires. Maintaining your boat’s systems is time-consuming and costly but less painful than a fire at sea.

As with all skills involved with boating, it is imperative you and your crew practice your FIRE DRILL and practice using a fire extinguisher to actually extinguish a fire.  If you have the time, attend a Marine Fire Acadamy course on fire fighting.  It will be well worth your time!

Your crew needs to know their roll in a fire emergency so work up an “Emergency Station Bill” that says who is going to extinguish the fire, who is going to grab the emergency gear and prepare to Abandon Ship, Who is going to push the button to activate the EPIRB and/or the DSC button on the VHF.   Recent fires on vessels at sea all show, time is critical, so everyone needs to know their role well before any fire occurs!

Follow the Navy’s lead, drill, drill, drill, drill, and drill some more until the skill becomes second nature!