Where do you store fire extinguishers on a boat?

Answer 1

in a readily accessible location

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EXACTLY, if you see a fire, you need to be able to get at the extinguisher easily so it must be in an open area and not covered up or in a cupboard or storage unit. You could also consider where fires are likely to happen - near a cooker, by the engines etc. It is also a good idea to have one near a door so you can pick one up as you enter or leave a cabin.

Answer 2

أفضل مكان لوضع طفاية الحريق على متن قارب هو المكان الذي يسهل فيه أخذ طفاية الحريق بسرعة وكذلك من أجل سرعة التعامل على الحريق ويفضل أن تتوفر أكثر من طفاية

Answer 3

in a readily accessible location

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EXACTLY, if you see a fire, you need to be able to get at the extinguisher easily so it must be in an open area and not covered up or in a cupboard or storage unit. You could also consider where fires are likely to happen - near a cooker, by the engines etc. It is also a good idea to have one near a door so you can pick one up as you enter or leave a cabin.

Answer 4

Without seeing the boat in question it is not possible to do anything approaching a proper Fire Risk Assessment of the boat's 'hot-spots' - excuse the pun - so the best answer I can give is that fire extinguishers are basically used for 2 purposes.

1. To put an unwanted fire out (obvious but read on)

2. To enable a person or persons to escape from a room or building when there is a fire between the person(s) and the escape route. (explained below)

It is important to realise that extinguishers are ONLY designed to knock down SMALL fires, such as a waste paper bin, a microwave, a barbeque or a box of rubbish for example, and most will do this job very well providing that -

a) The extinguisher is of the correct type for the type of fire (explained below) and

b) The person using the extinguisher uses it correctly (also explained below)

For a fire to start, and for it to continue to burn, 3 things must be present - Fuel, a source of ignition and Oxygen (the air all around us is about 20% Oxygen). This is known as the 'Fire Triangle'. If any one of these 3 things is not present, a fire cannot start. If a fire has already started, depriving it of any one of these 3 things will cause the fire to go out. Note that in the case of an already burning fire, the continuing source of ignition is the heat from the fire itself.

Types of fire are put into basic 'Classes' according to what the 'fuel' is

Class A involves commonly found 'carbonaceous' fuels such as paper, cardboard, wood, and similar combustible materials usually of an organic nature

Class B involves flammable liquids such as petrol, paraffin, grease, paint, solvents etc

Class C involves electrical fires where an appliance, control panel or electrical equipment is on fire

Class D involves combustible metals which are usually found in industrial locations

Class F includes cooking oils and fats

Some extinguishers are better suited to different Classes of fire because of the effect they have on the fire. For example foam extinguishers and powder extinguishers put down a layer on the fuel, which starves the fire of Oxygen by creating a barrier between the fuel and the air around it - without the Oxygen from the air, the Fire Triangle is broken and so the fire cannot survive. A water extinguisher also creates a barrier to keep oxygen away from the fire but to a lesser extent. It does however act very effectively to cool a fire and so remove or at least drastically reduce the ongoing source of ignition and again breaks the Fire Triangle in this way.

Some extinguishers should NOT be used on come Classes because of secondary dangers which will arise from their use. For example, a water extinguisher should not be used on a fire in electrical equipment such as a TV or microwave as the electricity can conduct up the spout of water and give the user an electric shock. Furthermore a water extinguisher MUST NEVER be used on a fire such as a chip-pan in a kitchen. The reason for this is that the hot fat in the pan will instantly turn the water into steam which expands VERY rapidly causing the fat to erupt, vapourise and in effect 'explode' into a fireball thus spreading the fire rapidly and probably engulfing the person with the extinguisher.

It is important to remember that if you use a CO2 extinguisher in a small room or confined space such as a cleaners cupboard or a caravan, the Oxygen level available for you to breathe will have been reduced by the fire itself and you have increased the level of CO2 to a point where it could be potentially unsafe for your survival.

The extinguisher's 'jet' must be aimed at the BASE of the fire, in other words the point where ALL 3 of the elements of the Fire Triangle are together. The rising flames do not have fuel, so attacking them is a waste of the precious small amount of help an extinguisher can give you.

The most important thing to remember when dealing with any fire is that YOU only get ONE LIFE - NEVER put your life at risk to try and put out a fire. Whatever is burning can almost always be replaced. YOU on the other hand CANNOT.

Answer 5

Any fire extinguisher should be mounted where it can be easily seen and accessed in case of emergency, without being in the way or subjected to unnecessary damage.

Answer 6

As with any other fire extinguisher, it must be installed where it is plainly visible, accessible for use and not subject to excessive damage.