Wolski A. A model of fire safety of sea-going vessels.

A MODEL OF FIRE SAFETY

OF SEA-GOING VESSELS

Wolski A.

Akademia Morska w Szczecinie, Instytut Nawigacji Morskiej, ul. Wały Chrobrego 1-2, 70-500 Szczecin, Poland

Abstract: This article presents a fire protection system on board ships staying in ports. The author attempts to show the possibilities of creating a model of procedures relating to the rescue-fire-fighting operation. This systemic approach allows to build a comprehensive rescue-firerescue-fire-fighting system in Polish ports.

1. Introduction

Fires onboard ships are most dangerous accidents both at sea and in the port. Accidents are caused by external and internal factors. Each accident can be defined as an operational state in which the ship, being a technical system, cannot in part or entirely execute the tasks it has been engaged for [2]. Fires can break out in various operational stages: under-way at sea, at anchor, in the port during cargo loading or discharging, or while a ship is being repaired. Most common causes of fire while a ship is in the port are:

 welding work,

 faulty electric installations,  self-ignition.

An analysis of statistical data [3] allows to evaluate fires on board ships in terms of:  extent of damage to vessels,

 duration of the fire,

 need for assistance from other vessels taking part in firefighting.

Approximately 10 to 15 per cent of ships struck by fire were completely destroyed. The average duration of fire exceeded 60 minutes, which resulted in temporary withdrawal of the ships from operation. Ten percent of the fires were extinguished with help from other vessels which came to assistance. There are no data available on the number of vessels that did not request firefighting assistance and managed to get fire under control by them-selves.

A model of fire protection system should include two principal elements: the scope of pre-ventive measures and the scope of actions taken while fighting a fire. This article aims at presenting the following problems:

 system of ship’s fire protection,

 coordination of firefighting in the harbour,

 cooperation of firefighting vessels and land-based fire brigades in harbours.

2. The system of ship’s fire protection

The fire preventive supervision includes the supervision of the fire safety in harbours as well as on board ships at sea. The supervision of ships’ safety can be divided into that per-formed while a ship is at the construction stage, during ship’s operation and repairs in shipyards. This kind of supervising activity on board ships in service is the responsibility of regional maritime administrations: maritime offices, harbour master’ offices. The range of functions of these authorities are wide in respect to the supervision and control of ships’ safety in ports. The ship’s Master is responsible for the organization and supervision of fire prevention. The block diagram of a fire protection system is shown in Figure 1.

Supervision fire protection of ports and piers

Supervision compliance with regulations for ships operation Firefighting on board ships in a harbour Firefighting on board ships at sea

SHIP FIRE PROTECTION SYSTEM

FIRE

SUPERVISION FIREFIGHTING

Fire fighting

instructions _equipment Fire _training Crew

Maintenance of personnel and

equipment on land

Maintenance

of fire ships Maintenance _{of operating} vessels

Maintenance of mobile fire teams

Fig. 1. Diagram of the fire protection system

2.1.

Firefighting and rescue operations performed on a ship in the harbour can be, at a rela-tively short time, enhanced by the personnel and equipment from land-based organiza-tions. Therefore, there is a need for setting the principles of their effective cooperation. These principles should be worked out at the stage of developing fire protection plans for particular ports. The plans should account for local capabilities to use effectively available personnel and equipment. The idea is to separate organizational units making up the fire protection system that are not part of the harbour firefighting services.

The on board ship firefighting operation is always commanded by a fire officer, usually the commander of the port rescue service; if there is no such unit, the commander of the rescue/firefighting unit summoned to fight a fire on a ship. The coordinator commands all the personnel engaged in firefighting /including the captain and crew of the ship afire/. The on-scene coordinator strictly cooperates with the appropriate harbour master’s office.

The cooperation is basically concerned with actions taken to prevent fire from spreading over to other ships berthing in the harbour or to harbour equipment and facilities. The dia-gram illustrating the coordination of rescue/ firefighting operation on a ship berthing in a Polish port is presented in Figure 2. The commanding coordinator in the harbour has to:  receive and evaluate all information on the fire on board a ship,

 prepare a plan of firefighting operation,

 specify the necessary equipment and number of persons to fight the fire and where they will come from,

 allocate tasks to persons in charge of crew fire teams operating on board,

 cooperate with the harbour master’s officers in matters relating to the safety of the harbour and its facilities,

 coordinate the cooperation between firefighting units assigned by organizations that do not belong to the harbour rescue/firefighting services,

 organize logistic backup for the firefighting operations. The coordinator is authorized to:

 request other organizational units to assign personnel and equipment for operations within the harbour,

 assess risks to the safety of people and the environment,

 coordinate with local authorities actions aimed at reducing possible effects of the fire on inhabitants.

2. Diagrams of firefighting operation in the harbour and at sea

The diagrams in Figures 3 and 4 below simplify the detailed description of firefighting op-erations in the harbour, indicating measures taken at various phases of fire in the harbour. Figure 3 presents the first diagram showing the organization of firefighting in the harbour. When the crew cannot manage to put out a fire by themselves, the model of actions to be taken shown in the diagram 2 in Figure 4 is recommended.

Commander of the operation Harbour Master Ship’s Master On board Commander

Ship’s Crew Rescue

Teams Port tugs

Personnel and equipment of other organizations Harbour Fire Brigade National Fire Brigade Unit Volunteer Fire Brigade Operational subordination Operational cooperation

Go to Diagram no 2

Is the operation going to succeed?

Carry on the operation until the fire is

extinguished Continue the firefighting operation

Is it possible for ship’s crew to extinguish the

fire?

Engage personnel and equipment of harbour rescue/firefighting service Harbour rescue/firefighting service takes

over the firefighting operation

FIRE ON BOARD

Start firefighting using ship’s crew

Alert harbour firefighting brigade and harbour master

NO

YES

NO

YES

Fig. 3. Diagram no 1 of the organization of a firefighting operations carried out by the ship’s crew only

Fig. 4. Diagram no 2 of the firefighting operations in the harbour with external assistance

Are personnel and equipment sufficient? FIREFIGHTING OPERATION

PARTICIPATION OF HARBOUR/FIREFIGHTING

SERVICE

Is the fire a hazard to other vessels or port facilities?

Continue firefighting operation

Request harbour master to tow the ship away

Request assistance from other units of

the system

Continue firefighting with own personnel

Is the operation effective?

Continue the operation till fire is put out

NO _YES

NO YES

NO

3. Conclusions

1. The system of ship fire protection in harbours has to be considered within the entire framework of marine rescue services covering a particular area.

2. Company rescue/firefighting services make up an important component of the system established to effectively extinguish a fire. These units take the main burden of the fire protection of harbours and all their facilities.

3. The most effective backup in rescue and firefighting operations in ports can be ex-pected from units belonging to regional rescue/firefighting systems. These are orga-nized by the National Fire Brigade.

4. In order to make rescue/firefighting operations in ports and at sea more effective, ship masters should have simple fire drill computer programs, allowing to use the proce-dures incorporated in such programs. This would greatly facilitate making right deci-sions during rescue/firefighting operations.

5. The presented herein diagrams of firefighting operations offer a basis for the en-hancement of the teaching of fire prevention in maritime universities.

References

1.

2.

3.

analysis and statistics concerning Polish and foreign ships in Poland), Instytut Morski, Gdańsk, 1990.