Fire onboard a ship can destroy accommodation, stores, equipment, lives, and potentially the ship itself. Good fire prevention through drills and safety practices can greatly reduce these risks. Key actions include checking all private electrical equipment, keeping flammable materials away from heat sources, having designated smoking areas, keeping work and living spaces tidy, safely handling and storing flammable materials and liquids, properly disposing of waste, and controlling welding and other hot work. Proper fire detection includes raising an alarm, reporting details to command, attacking the fire if safely able to or sealing it off otherwise, rescuing casualties, stopping the fire from spreading, guiding firefighters, and briefing commanders on the situation.

1. FIRE PREVENTION AND
CORRECT DRILL ON FIRE
DETECTION

2. FIRE PREVENTION
Fire onboard can destroy accommodation, stores - equipment, lives and in extreme cases,
the ship her self. Fire fighting onboard is difficult and beset with dangers. When good fire
prevention drills are exercised by the whole ship’s company. These difficulties and hazards are
greatly reduced and can be eliminated by following actions:
a. All private electrical equipment onboard must be checked for safe operation by the
ME(L) department and logged.
b. Clothes and other flammable material must be kept clear of electrical radiators, hot
equipment and systems.
c. Smoking should only take place in spaces and only in situations where it is safe to
do so.
d. Mess decks are to be kept tidy with all personal gear stowed in the kit lockers, which
should be secured properly.
e. Electric irons and soldering irons are to be switched off when not in use and are to
be allowed to cool before being stowed away. These appliances must not be left
unattended when they are switched on.
f. All paints and painting material are to be returned to paint shop/store on
completion of work.
g. All other highly flammable materials such solvent aerosols, some adhesives and
liquids, gases and petrol are to be in accordance with regulations and to have their
containers sealed, when not required.
h. All rags especially wet and oily ones, sawdust and wood chips etc, are to be safely
disposed off at the end of working.
j. Spillage of oil, paint, solvent, spirit, or other flammable liquids are to be wiped up
immediately and the dirty rags disposed off.
k. When any compartment is vacated all unnecessary lighting and other electrical
circuits are to be switched off. The door to any empty compartment should be kept shut
wherever possible.
l. Only safety matches are to be used onboard.

3. m. The use of single action cigarette lighters and the stowage of lighter fuels (petrol or
Butane gas) in kit locker is not good fire prevention practice and is to be discouraged.
n. On the completion of working day all gash bins from living spaces and waste bins
from workshops must be emptied and the waste disposed off in a safe manner. It is
recommended that gash bins and spitkids in living spaces should again be emptied before
pipe down.
p. Oily rags should be placed in covered containers to prevents fires
q. Smoking in bed is dangerous should be avoided.
r. No Smoking in ships cargo spaces
s. No Smoking while drunk. Careless disposal or storage of materials can lead to
spontaneous ignition.
t. The welding/burning and flame heating control organization controls the
safety/fire prevention aspects of all such operations.
u. A hot steam pipe can change wood to charcoal, ignite the charcoal and cause a fire.
v. Overloading is dangerous .
w. Only one appliance should be connected to each outlet in an electric circuit
x. Covers left in place over floodlighting can by ignited be the heat of the lamp
y. An unprotected light, bulb can easily break, allowing the live electric circuit to ignite
nearly flammable material.
z. Leaking cargo should not be permitted aboard vessel.
aa. Cigarettes butt must be disposed off in ashtray.
ab. When underway, range battens should be used to keep pots from sliding off the
cooking surface.

4. CORRECT DRILL ON FIRE DETECTION
a. Raise the alarm with loud vocal voice ‘FIRE FIRE FIRE’.
b. Report HQ1 about location ,size and type of fire whether the door is open, details of
any casualties and your name, as person finding the fire.
c. If smoke is coming behind closed door and gives on indication to size, type behind it
“LEAVE THE DOOR CLOSED”.
d. If you are wearing correct rig, attack the fire with appropriate equipment to the type
of fire.
e. If ,after your initial attack, you are beaten back ,consider rigging a waterwall nozzle or
fixed hatch waterwall, to seal the door/hatch to allow a continuous aggressive attack
on the fire.
f. If waterwall cannot be rigged close the door to the space and start preparing hoses etc.
as appropriate .
g. Move the casualties to safe place clear to fire fighting .
h. If fire can be prevented from spreading then carry out appropriate action(cooling,
removing flammable articles, stop local ventilation) .
i. Stay in the vicinity of fire to guide I/C Main group for following:
1. Where the fire is situated .
2. What is burning.
3. Any hazardous.
4. Position and number of casualties
5. Achievements regarding the preparation for fighting the fore
6. Details of local ventilation and electric circuits.
j. On completion of actions in para i go to SCC/HQ1 and brief the OOD or senior rating in
charge.