Boat fire- all are OK

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firstmate_Seaweed

New member
Well, I had my first boat fire experience on Thursday- pretty scary. A boat caught fire (malfunctioned gas generator leaked in the cockpit while running. Fuel+heat=explosion and fire). I was walking on the adjacent dock and it seemed in slow motion that I heard the explosion, turned, saw the flames, and ran over there. Just a great reminder of what wonderful people we have in the boating community. About 8 of us in the marina jumped into action- grabbing fire extinguishers from our own boats and around the marina (went through 8 in all and still couldn't put out the fire until the fire department arrived), 2 bystanders jumped up onto the bow to pull 5 trapped people on board out through the bow hatch (while flames were consuming the cockpit and blocking their escape), other people jumping on nearby boats to float them out of the way of the flames... And of course the wonderful public servants, starting with the great 911 operator I was on with (although I was shocked by being placed on hold with what seemed like forever but was probably only 2 minutes) and the great firemen who came and quickly extinguished the fire before it spread to the cabin (30-35ft cabin cruiser type with a flybridge). The fire boat that responded in just a few short minutes had only been put into commission 2 hours prior. The fire damage stayed to the cockpit and canvas and flybridge area, but smoke and dry chemical damage to the cabin interior. Anyways, no one was hurt, some of us had scratchy throats and coughing from the smoke and dry chemical, but we are all very grateful it ended OK. It's taken me a few days to decompress and come down off the adrenaline high, I can still hear that explosion in my right ear, and still see the image of the flaming boat in my mind very vividly!

So thought I'd share some lessons learned and ask for other to chime in, as this was my first boat fire...
1. always wear your PFD when around boats. My boyfriend and I had ours on, even though we were just walking around the docks, back and forth to the bathroom and chatting with other boat owners before making our way to our boat. But good we had them on as we had ot spring into action and he jumped on other boats and I was running on the docks to get the harbormaster, open gate for fireman, and getting extra pfd's for other good samaritans who jumped on the other boats to float them out of the way who didn't have pfd's, etc (yes, I know, no running on docks, but this situation warranted).
2. Plan and practice an escape route. Know who does what and who is responsible for guests and getting them out.
3. Keep your weight down so you can get out the bow hatch in an emergency. The owner of the boat that caught fire said the night before he had a guest on board who wouldn't have been able to get out the bow hatch. I don't even want to think about what would have happened if the fire had occurred the evening before...
4. Obviously have all safety equipment on board and maintained. Never thought I'd ever have to use a fire extinguisher in my boating experience... can't happen to me, right?
5. Have your cell phone handy at all times (normally I keep it in my purse in the bow storage area- just by chance I had it in my pocket while walking the docks)

And so many others... Anyways, I can't thank the universe enough for setting up all the circumstances that came together to set up for a happy ending to this scary experience. It was limited to boat damage, and in the end it's only a boat. That's why you have insurance, right?!

Hope no one else experiences a boat fire and has many happy, uneventful cruises!

Erin
 
Hopefully your first and only experience with fire on a boat. Thank you for reminding all of us about fire safety and a big thumbs up to you and the other volunteers who helped contain that situation.

Best wishes,
Jim B.
 
wow, I saw that on the news and was surprised nobody was hurt. It sounded like quick thinking by you folks on the dock made the difference..... What a poor way to light up a Christmas ship
 
Scary. Sounds like you were all heros. I was lucky and fought only one boat fire during my time in the CG and did it from the safety of another boat. It was really no more than putting the fire out after all the people were safe but it was still unnerving and the smell will always remain with me.

It sounds like you all kept your head about you which is the most important. Boats can be replaced, people can't. Great job!
 
Have never dealt with a boat fire, but have done several car fires.

So, on your boat, is your fire extinguisher an ABC dry chemical. Any idea what that will do to your electronics if you use it there? I too still have an ABC, but have added a CO2 extinguisher as well, because it does not have the adverse effects the ABC dry does,

Sounds like you did well, and good job. and no the remembering of the smell will never go away.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon

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I have seen more than my share of boat fires and this one certainly shows some good thought and action by your community!

We have over sized fire extinguishers aboard. Those small ones are just not big enough. (Same for the RV--we have two 4A 60 BC extinguishers on board the RV--one in the front by the driver and one in the rear closet--plus two escape hatches.)

In this incident, I wonder about a generator running in the cockpit. We like to have the portable generator on the swim step or outside of the cockpit. Also for an inboard gas boat, a bilge "sniffer" is an essential, as well as a heat and smoke detector in the engine room.

In the past pressurized alcohol stoves were a source of fires on sailboats and small power boats, as well as gasoline. Also propane is another source of ignition--and again sniffers, with an automatic shut off valve for the main propane tank are essential.
 
A retired firefighter mentioned he has both dry chemical (cabin) and halon (engine room) on board his boat. He says he likes Co2 for car fires, but not for boat fires (at least for enclosed spaces). Don't know where, or if, you can get a halon fire extinguisher.

I think the main point is many, in multiples places and easily accessible is the key.
 
firstmate_Seaweed":vc15e0jb said:
A retired firefighter mentioned he has both dry chemical (cabin) and halon (engine room) on board his boat. He says he likes Co2 for car fires, but not for boat fires (at least for enclosed spaces). Don't know where, or if, you can get a halon fire extinguisher.

I think the main point is many, in multiples places and easily accessible is the key.
Click to expand...

Halon is allowed if you already have it, or you can buy a new extinguisher made with re-cycled halon. Since 1974, the manufacture of new halon gas has been outlawed in the U.S. This is because the Halon gas is cloro-floro-carbon, and, like the similar refrigeration gases, it interferes with the retention of the ozone layer in the atmosphere.

Halon makes for a great extinguisher for electrical and flammable fuels, and leaves no residues, making clean up much easier. It is non-flamable itself, and smothers the fire / combustion by excluding the oxygen supply.

My Sea /Ray has an automatic system in the motor wells / bilge that will flood the area with Halon in the event of a fire. That makes for somewhat of a comforting feeling knowing you are protected in an area you can't always see into.

Joe. :teeth :thup
 
My recollection is that Halon, in the presence of a very hot fire (think Class D), can generate toxic gases, in particuler, phosgene, a nerve gas. In addition, it is an asphyxiation hazard. The latter is also the case for CO2. I'd guess CO2 might be the lesser of two evils if you are looking for a no-residue/low-residue extinguishing agent to use on a boat fire. But, either agent should not be used in enclosed spaces. And, you should get the hell out of the boat if you use either one ... or use your self-contained breathing apparatus, just as firefighters do, these days.

Here is a summary of the advantages and disadvantages of the commonly available extingishing agents, from Boatsafe.com: http://www.boatsafe.com/nauticalknowhow ... htm#agents
 
We have not really discussed the Halon substitute type and Halotron I fire extinguishers, since the vast majority of C Dories do not have inboards.

But for electronics the Halotron I is a better choice than any of the dry and foam chemicals. They are expensive--and a 1A-10 B:C costs $350!
We keep a small Halotron I extinguisher, which is moved from house to RV to boat and it kept in the galley area.

HFC 227 and HFC 241 extinguishers are still available for fixed installation in engine rooms (I still have a HFC 227 rated for 850 cu feet left over from a trawler I owned--the current cost of one of these is $ $2700!)--The HFC 241 is for un occupied areas and is cheaper--the same size unit is about half the price. These systems require an engine shut down circuit and blower shut down circuit--and in larger boats should also include suttering of the air intakes.

Extremely important are plans--as in this case for evacuation, but also for fighting the fire. If you at sea, your survival may depend on stopping the fire in its early stages. If you don't stop the fire, the only alternative is to abandon ship into a life vessel. There are reports of fires at sea every year in the various forums. We kept a typed plan for all emergencies at the companionway in our cruising boats. We reviewed it regularly, and had all of our guests and crew read it and affirm that they understood what was necessary.
 
Halon, being very hard to come by and very expensive in any amount now, is an excellent fire suppressant. Have seen it work, way back when. It does have serious side effects, if used and you do not get out of the area before breathing, literally.

CO2, is also very effective, and an easy clean up. And yes, you need to be careful about exposure, but it is much less toxic, and more easily overcome. Again, need to evacuate the area after use and/or suppression is a must.

I do carry a 5# CO2, as a primary extinguisher, and feel it can be used safely in the CD 22 Cruiser, for either gally or electronics fires.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon
 
Thanks to Erin who shared her boat fire experience and the good information shared by others who chimed in. I'm a retired Wyoming volunteer firefighter who also spent a good sum of years in the wood products production industry in charge of fire fighting, involving the aftermath of large scale dust explosions. Halon in fixed auto and portable manual systems were major weapons in our fire extinguishing inventory and even today is perhaps the best fire fighting tool available where preventing damage to the area is a must while extinguishing the fire in such areas that have sensitive electrical equipment and the like.

What has made halon so expensive to use today and there is no current regulations against its use that I'm aware of is in 1989 when the Montreal Protocol determined that halon depleted the ozone layer, the EPA banned its manufacture in l994. Now all halon used is recycled from past stores, so every time it is used the amount available in the future declines. Thus the reason for the development of Halotron which is the best replacement for halon that I'm presently aware that is also non damaging to the ozone.

Even though halon can be dangerous under certain circumstances it is considered by the US gov safety and health to be of low toxicity.

Jay
 
The last Halon for fire extinguishing systems was produced 17 years ago. The products mentioned above are subsitutes for Halon. If you fully flood a room with any gas (including pure nitrogen, CO2 or even oxygen,) you will suffer health affects. The amount of product from a 2.5 or 5 lb Halotron I extinguisher will not cause loss of conscious or death in a C Dory sized area, unless you breath the spray directly. There is no phosgene gas produced by these agents. (The Phosgene was only if the Halon was heated to over 900 degrees, and deaths are hard to document; there are far more phosgene deaths from carbon tetrachloride--Halon 104-- than from Halon 1211, 1301 or 2402)
 
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