Fire Fighting at Sea
A fire requires oxygen, heat & fuel to burn. Limit one of these factors to extinguish it.
An explosion requires oxygen, dispersion, confinement, heat & combustible dust to go off.
Fire fighting is usually focused on preventing oxygen near the fire, and not on the fuel or heat.
Halon fire suppression system
Deadly to humans, only employ in unmanned areas.
Works by filling the room with Halon, extinguishing fires and humans alike due to lack of oxygen.
CO2 fire supression
It may look like the fire has extinguished, but if you cease the CO2 flow too soon, the fire can reignite when oxygen meets the fuel which is still at the combustion temperature
Powerder supression
Powders usually are finer as Sahara sand and will contaminate every nook and cranny, wreaking havoc on electronics
Chemical powders usually wreak havoc on electronics.
Same as with CO2 ceasing too soon can cause the fire to reignite.
Water fire supression
Water is effective by lowering the temperature and preventing direct contact between oxygen and fuel.
General
- Sound alarm
- Activate water intake pump
- Activate sprinklers
- Close all hatches and doorways to prevent spread and fueling the fire with oxygen
Fire response team
- Check overpressure breathing apparatus
- Stay in pairs
- Before opening or touching a door, spray it with water to test the temperature
- Always shelter crouched behind a door when opening it, in case of flashback or backdraft
- Stay low when extinguishing to prevent warming by steam clouds (Prevent overheating as long as possible, leave before you feel a stroke coming on)
- Leave before breathing tank levels are below 50%