Firefighting for the Land-based Firefighter
Part II - What's
Some observations on
firefighting on board vessels in port, and Fire
Departments' relationships with ships, seafarers
and Port Authorities.
This article aims at an
overview of what to expect when visiting a
merchant vessel for the purpose of pre-fire
planning. It is hoped that the readers' first
visit to a typical vessel will not be when there
is a fire. Normal water safety precautions such
as the wearing of Personal Flotation Devices (PFDs)
should be observed when on or near the water.
On boarding, we can tell a lot from the
overall housekeeping standards, and on meeting
the officers and crew can assess whether we will
be assisting them, them assisting us, or whether
they will be more of a liability. As we board, by
gangway, pilot or accommodation ladder, we can
assess the logistics of responding. Should we
stage on the dock or on board? Will aerials be of
use? Can we establish at least two methods of
access/egress? Are there cranes nearby to aid in
landing personnel and equipment on board? Is
there repair work under way? Are there exposures
in the form of other vessels? Can they be moved?
Should the involved vessel be moved? Have fixed
systems, if fitted, been discharged?
These are not always decisions
for the first responding unit, but information
can be gathered which may be of value to Command
at a later stage of the response.
Hazards on board include
extremely confined spaces, steep ladders and
stairs, heights, tripping hazards, slippery
surfaces, extreme heat and, during firefighting,
excessive steam generation, high voltages (over 4,000V,
300A), movement of the vessel and loss of
communications due to radio "blind spots."
Personnel accountability is essential, but your
system may be taxed due to the size and type of
vessel. Guidelines and flourescence light sticks
in different colours may be used to establish
The use of nautical terminology
should be confined to words in common use at sea
- not yacht club jargon. It is not always
appreciated that the terms "port; starboard;
for'd; midships and aft" when applied to a
ship, give an immediate six sector zoning which
fits well with ICS (Incident Command System). Add
in deck names or numbers and we have a three
dimensional model of the vessel which aids in
assigning and locating personnel.
to the dock may be difficult.
Ship's personnel - help
English is close to being an
international language, but great care must be
taken in communicating to avoid misunderstanding.
Fortunately most common nautical terms are easily
understood by most seafarers.
Many ship's officers wear
uniform, but not all. It is sometimes easy to
assume that the ragged looking individual
speaking pidgin English is of no value to you,
but he may be the Polish, Russian, Korean or
Filipino Chief Engineer who is your resident
expert on the ship's systems. He (or she) will
know the vessel inside out, and can save hours of
precious time if the right questions are asked.
Generally, the Chief or Second
Engineer are most knowledgeable about the engine
room and on board systems. The Chief Officer or
Mate knows the deck and cargo best, but on a well
run vessel there should be considerable overlap
of knowledge. The Bosun (or Boatswain) is the
deck "foreman" as the Donkeyman or No.
1 Oiler is for the Engine room.
Over the past ten years we have boarded
several dozen deep sea vessels each year in the
Port of Vancouver (as part of training delivery),
and never have failed to find, unaided, a set of
fire plans on each side of the accommodation, as
required by IMO. However, the condition of these
plans is rarely acceptable. They are usually well
protected from the weather, but after getting
through the grease and the multi-layered plastic
wrapping they are frequently faded and unreadable.
Occasionally a set of plans is met with (not
necessarily on a new vessel either) which are
clear, well drawn, and, best of all, coloured, if
necessary by one of the ship's personnel. This
greatly facilitates interpretation of the plans,
which is not easy, even for mariners. Other plans,
such as the General Arrangement, may be of use,
as they usually show side elevations and midships
cross sections. The good news is that plans are
available if you know where to find them: the bad
news is that they are not always easy to read.
essential to work with vessel personnel. NB: Both
the Fire Control Plan and International Shore
Coupling (ISC) are well located.
On a well run
vessel there will be a clearly marked box on each
side of the accommodation, near the gangway. This
- a clear and legible set of
the vessel's fire plans (this alone is
mandatory), coloured if possible;
- a current crew list,
identifying those possessing pass keys;
- full instructions and
location of the vessel's fixed fire
fighting systems and fuel shutoffs;
- a list of dangerous goods
on board, and their location and
- if possible, separate
plans of each deck in the accommodation,
ideally on Plexiglas. (I notice this
becoming more frequent, usually in the
form of one plan on each deck level.)
Items 2 to 5 are not mandatory
but are recommended. By building a relationship
with regular visitors to your port you may
encourage such practices. Nearby, there should be
a personnel board identifying who is on board. If
appropriate, the terminal or dock office should
be given a crew list so security (if any) may
record who is ashore. There have been many
instances of fire fighters searching for crew
members who were not on board.
Firefighting on board may be roughly
described as "shut down to buy time" as
most vessels have fixed systems to handle engine
room, and in some cases cargo hold fires. By
closing all ventilation openings and shutting off
fuel supplies, a lid is placed on the fire.
Closing ventilators may be a major task for both
fire fighters and ship's personnel. Boundary
cooling, that is cooling of the vessel exterior,
is not to be underestimated. Many ship fires have
been contained and allowed to burn out safely,
but it takes time. Seattle Fire achieved a 'stop'
with the Manulani fire, i.e. much of the cargo
was unburned when the hold was reopened after a
week. The military response of "take her out
and sink her" is not recommended.
systems employ either:
- high pressure fog,
- high expansion foam,
- dry chemical,
- sprinklers, or
- deluge systems.
Some vessels may have several
systems. Most systems are a "one shot deal."
If more resources are needed means will have to
be found for access. For example, some vessel
fires have been extinguished by fabricating a
connection to a ship's hull to permit application
of CO2 from road tankers, e.g. Manulani, August
31 - September 7, 1997, Seattle.
Application of water on board
must be strictly controlled. It is interesting
that the Indirect Method of Attack for fuel oil
fires was largely developed at the US Coastguard
Fire Fighting School during 1944/45, aboard the
Liberty ship the Gaspar de Portola as described
by Lloyd Layman. However, many ship's crews are
still less than adequately trained in correct
Watertight doors, fire
doors and annunciator panels
Depending on the vessel type, there may
be a number of watertight doors, and/or fire
doors to allow movement through transverse
bulkheads. These bulkheads subdivide the vessel
so that if part of the hull is holed the ship
will still remain afloat. This "sub-division"
of the vessel can aid in containing fire in a
given zone. Obviously it is not practical to keep
these doors closed all the time, especially on
passenger vessels, so they may be opened and
closed by remote control. This control panel is
usually located on the bridge, along with the
fire alarm annunciator panel. Even when closed,
watertight doors or fire doors may be opened by
local override, usually hydraulic.
It is essential that
firefighters be aware of how to operate ship's
doors and hatches, especially by using the local
manual or hydraulic override.
Failure to adequately dewater has led to
vessels capsizing, e.g. the Normandie, the
Empress of Canada. It is only fair to note that
in both these cases the firefight was being won
when it had to be abandoned due to loss of
stability. The vessels concerned did not
immediately capsize, but several hours after
evacuation, despite attempts to restore stability,
they turned over.
When weights are added to,
moved within or removed from a vessel there is a
change in the position of the centre of gravity.
Ships are remarkably stable but, if the centre of
gravity is too high, they may capsize, either
through external force or through loss of
stability. An example of a vehicle with a high
centre of gravity is a cube van carrying meat
which is hanging from hooks. The effect of the
weight of the meat raises the centre of gravity
to the hooks in the roof and such vehicles may
topple if a corner is turned too sharply.
The most important aspect of
stability relative to water application is called
the Free Surface Effect. Space does not permit a
full explanation; suffice to say that it causes a
virtual rise in the centre of gravity, making the
vessel effectively "top heavy" and
unstable. To demonstrate, compare the ease of
carrying a gallon of water in a pail with
carrying a gallon of water in a roasting tray. It
is not so much the quantity of water as its
location on board (especially if high up) and its
freedom to move which causes the effect. The most
dramatic recent demonstration of this was the
loss of the Estonia on September 28, 1994 with
the loss of 903 lives.
The most important aspect of
vessel stability when firefighting is to plan
water removal before application, and to have the
vessel's stability condition monitored with
respect to wind and weather. ('Get it off, or get
it low.') Booms should be rigged around the
vessel to contain water runoff, or if possible
have runoff collected in barges. (See
environmental issues.) However, be aware that oil
pumped overboard may be sucked into the intakes
of the vessel or another vessel. This may lead to
a worse situation.
When on board,
there are more ladders to climb - both up and
down, inside and out.
The moving incident
Vessel fires may be referred to as
"moving incidents" because it
highlights one of the main differences with land-based
response. Except for the flow of liquid along the
ground, or the risk of exposures, land-based
fires generally stay put. On water, the exposures
may move, or be moved, as may the involved vessel.
Escape of burning fuel may expose vessels, docks
or buildings a considerable distance away, as the
water borne flames drift away.
Moorings, the ropes attaching
the vessel to the dock, are crucial. They must be
tended as conditions change. They may burn
through, or break if the wind rises. The windage
on the side of a large vessel is not to be
The intent of rigging fire wires or
warps, or emergency towing wires, is to
facilitate movement of the vessel by tugs without
the necessity of putting people on board to rig
lines. Wires are preferred because they do not
burn, although ropes are better than nothing. The
Jupiter incident might have been easier dealt
with if wires were pre-rigged.
Perhaps 50% of vessels that we
have boarded have fire wires (emergency towing
wires) ready, and less than half of this number
have rigged them properly. By this I mean that
although they are made fast to bitts fore and aft,
they do not have a bight on deck with a lanyard
to adjust the level of the eye above the water as
the vessel's draft changes. This also means that
in the event of a tug taking the strain there
will be no slack to give a better lead.
Working with local port
authorities can lead to better pre-fire planning
on the part of visiting vessels.
Coupling (ISC)-- resource or relic?
Many seafarers have been led to believe
that in the event of a fire in port, with the
ship's fire pumps disabled, the local fire
department would respond, use the ISC and, having
pressurized the fire main, would fight the fire
aboard. The fire department would use the ship's
equipment? In refuting this assumption we can do
no better than to quote Mr. Frank Rushbrook in
his excellent book "Fire Aboard" in
which he stated "...the fire fighting
equipment -- particularly the hose--to be found
aboard ship is such that a professional fireman
would be reluctant to find himself compelled to
rely on it to deal with a serious fire emergency.
Mildewed hose, ancient branch-pipes with hand-control
nozzles stiff to operate or leaking at the joints--
(page 550)." It is not suggested that this
would apply to all vessels, but even if the fire
fighting appliances are in perfect order, no one
wishes to use equipment with which he is
Many units in the Fire Service
have been dutifully carrying their part of the
ISC for years without any clear idea of its
intended use. The use of ISC is limited to either
a) charging a fixed system on board from shore
water, such as when a vessel is in drydock; b)
charging a sprinkler or deluge system; or c)
pressurizing the fire main to facilitate the
firefighting efforts of the ship's personnel.
Fire departments should consider using ship's
equipment for boundary cooling, but not for
direct attack. Pressurizing the ship's fire main
may lead to flooding if the main is ruptured or
the water pressure too great for the pressure
relief valve. Most fire departments would rapidly
run sufficient hose for their needs, and not
waste time with the ISC. It has its place, but it
is not the universal remedy in which we have been
led to trust.
Below - reading a fire
Water supply may seem obvious when ships
and boats float on water, but it is not always
simple. Salt water may be pumped without harm
provided the pumps are well flushed with fresh
water after use. However, the dock may be too
high to allow drafting, or the tide may be low.
Floating pumps can be of use in marina fires, but
are of little use if the water is choppy. Anyone
who visits even a medium sized merchant vessel
will realize that just to get a water supply on
deck by any means other than the ship's pumps or
an aerial apparatus (if alongside) is difficult.
Fireboats and tug or towboats
can supply water, particularly on the off-dock
side of the vessel, for boundary cooling. Careful
pre-fire planning can determine the potential
water supply available. Pre-fire planning on
vessels which visit your area regularly may pay
off should a fire occur while in port.
Firefighters visiting a vessel may help raise the
awareness of the ship's officers and crew which
may lead to enhanced fire prevention and no fires!
Pre-fire plans for some Ro-Ro vessels have
identified a need for hose lays of 700 feet - and
that is after a water supply has been laid on
In Part III we will address
resources and training and will supply references
for those interested in further study or training.