Fire

[Steve DAntonio]

Most boat owners in the US, and many elsewhere, have heard about the recent tragic dive boat fire in Southern California, with the resultant loss of life. Many of my clients and readers have inquired about regulations regarding fire, firefighting, smoke alarms and escape routes.

Like most others in this industry I anxiously await the full NTSB report, which will hopefully detail the cause of the fire. At the moment there is speculation that it may have been caused by rechargeable lithium ion battery, like that used in a phone or camera (it was a dive boat so no doubt there were many underwater cameras, lights etc, all with Li Ion batteries). I've encountered overheated Li Ion batteries, having had one catch fire in the toolbox of my pick-up truck on one occasion a few years ago.

Until the full report (a preliminary report has been released, the link is included here) is released all we can do is speculate. However, there are things you can do to prevent such a tragedy aboard your own vessel.

Make sure you have working, up to date (most common battery-powered household units are OK to use aboard, with some caveats, see link below, however, they should be replaced every 5 years) smoke detectors with fresh batteries. You should have one on both sides of every door, as well as in engineering spaces, and behind electrical panels. The last time I wrote about this was after another tragic onboard fire.

https://stevedmarineconsulting.com/special-edition-smoke-detectors/

Make sure you have fire extinguishers, more than the USCG-required minimum. They are relatively inexpensive, you should have one in every cabin, and no fire extinguisher should be more than three large steps away.

https://stevedmarineconsulting.com/portable-fire-extinguishers-not-all-are-created-equal/

Make certain your fixed engine room and other engineering space fire extinguishers are up to date, inspected, and pressure gauges are in the green. I recently inspected a 3 year old vessel, whose safety pins had never been removed from fire extinguishers in the engine room and machinery space; which means neither of these units could have been discharged manually.

https://vimeo.com/160266778

Preliminary NTSB report: https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Reports/DCA19MM047-preliminary-report.pdf

Recent Coast Guard Safety bulletin

https://images.saymedia-content.com/.image/cs_srgb/MTY2ODY4ODk2MTY1NDA2NTcy/safety-bulletin.pdf

ABYC is silent on escape routes, but NFPA 302 isn’t, it says...

NFPA 302, Fire Protection Standard for Pleasure and Commercial Motor Craft, 2010 Edition

Chapter 4 Hull
4.1 General Arrangement.
4.1.1
The hull shall be arranged so that all compartments are accessible and all escape hatches are unobstructed and readily accessible.
4.1.1.1
Every boat having enclosed accommodation spaces shall have a readily accessible and unobstructed means of egress.
4.1.1.2
Every boat having enclosed accommodation spaces shall have a second accessible means of egress if it is possible for one exit to
be blocked by a fire in a galley or machinery area.
4.1.1.3
The means of egress in 4.1.1.1 and 4.1.1.2 shall provide for minimum clear opening dimensions of 14 in. × 18 in. (36.8 cm × 47
cm) (rectangular); or 18 in. (45.7 cm) diameter (circular); or 270 in.2 (1741 cm2) with a minimum dimension of 141
⁄2 in. (36.8 cm)
(oval).
4.1.1.4
Any hatch that is required for egress shall have a means of being operated from the inside and a means of being operated from the
outside when not secured from the inside.
4.1.1.5
All hinged hatches shall have a means or method to support the hatch in an open position

 

[Portage_Bay]

I particularly like this part of Steve's post .....

.......................
You should have one on both sides of every door, as well as in engineering spaces, and behind electrical panels. The last time I wrote about this was after another tragic onboard fire...............

Reading Causes of Boat fires - BoatUS and other sources DC electrical is the greatest cause of fires. I'll be putting a smoke detector in the electrical cabinet.

 

[O C Diver]

It will be interesting to see if they can identify the cause of the fire. As an avid technical diver, it would seem to me the more likely cause would be a lithium battery powered canister light or scooter battery. The canister lights can be in excess of 20 amp hours, but the scooter batteries can be as large as a car battery. While the numbers of both in their largest sizes are relatively small, there have been incidents with both starting fires. The problem with some of the lithium type batteries is that once a cell starts burning, the fire feeds very quickly off of the rest of the battery pack. With the large scooter batteries, trying to charge them in a shorter time requires higher amperage chargers, which can heat up a faulty cell faster. Lots of increased risk with lithium batteries.

Ted

 

[Boat]

Toxic gases are produced when many modern materials burn. As an example, the gases from burning plastic pipe can kill everyone in a room. Survivors have reported an inability to move even though they were aware of the fire and the need to run. They were paralyzed by the toxins and would burn to death if not rescued.


http://web.mit.edu/parmstr/Public/NRCan/CanBldgDigests/cbd144_e.html

 

[GoneFarrell]

Good advice!

In my experience, the weakest link is not the batteries, it is the chargers, cabling & connectors that are used to charge batteries on board. I have upgraded all on my boat after a cheap thin cable got kinked at the connector, got hot, and started to let the smoke out of the wire.

If the device you are charging (like a phone) shows a message like "slow charging" that means the cable and/or charger are limiting out on voltage/current (bad!) So feel around to see of any of the parts are hot/warm.

If you are leaving devices on at night (like anchor alarms, for example) be sure those devices are securely mounted to the boat and the parts are not hot during normal operation.

 

[Steve DAntonio]

Correction, there's an error in my previous post, it should have said, "ABYC isn't silent on this subject..." It is covered in chapter H3

3.5.1 Enclosed accommodation compartments or designated sleeping compartments shall have:
3.5.1.1 a readily accessible and unobstructed means of exit, and
3.5.1.2 a second readily accessible means of exit to the open air if the main exit leads through or over an engine space or directly past a cooking appliance.
3.5.2 The means of exit shall have the following minimum clearing characteristics:
3.5.2.1 circular shape: diameter of at least 18 in (457 mm),
3.5.2.2 any other shape: a minimum dimension of 14.5 in (368 mm) and minimum area of 270 in2 (0.174 m2). The exit shall be large enough for a 14.5 in (368 mm) diameter circle to be inscribed.
NOTE: The circle should be inscribed after taking in consideration any restrictions including hinges, latches, and stays, etc.
3.5.2.3. The vertical distance to the means of exit shall not exceed 47.5 in (1.2 m). If cushions or mattresses are below the means of exit, the distance is taken from the compressed material.
3.5.2.4 Any hatch that is required for a means of exit shall have a means of being operated from the inside, and from the outside when secured and unlocked.

 

[Chrisjs]

With the possible culprit being thought to be portable device Li-ion batteries, how should we feel about using much bigger Li-ion house batteries. Seems to me that if there is risk of fire/explosion with small Li-ions then there may be a risk of much bigger fire/explosion while charging, say, an 8D Li-ion.

 

[Comodave]

From SteveDs post

Make certain your fixed engine room and other engineering space fire extinguishers are up to date, inspected, and pressure gauges are in the green. I recently inspected a 3 year old vessel, whose safety pins had never been removed from fire extinguishers in the engine room and machinery space; which means neither of these units could have been discharged manually.

Before I retired from the CG Aux, I did vessel safety check and almost never found a fixed system that was up to date on the inspection. The only ones that I found up to date were people that had just taken a boating safety class from the auxiliary. A friend had a boat he stored by mine. Each year he would take both our halon bottles to a certified inspection company. He sold his boat this year and asked me to represent him during the survey. The surveyor was amazed when he checked the halon. He said it was the first one in over 10 years that was up to date inspection wise.

This is something that everyone should take seriously since the only way to make sure the halon is still in the bottle is to weigh it. It costs me $10 for the yearly inspection.

 

[Moonfish]

Appreciate the timely and thoughtful post, Steve!

 

[ksanders]

With todays technology it makes sense to incorporate smoke detectors as Steve indicated in the engine room, and behind electrical panels.

These can be difficult to hear from a berth maybe 40 feet away and behind a couple of doors.

A great solution is to use smoke alarms that wirelessly network together so that when one detects smoke they all alert, or that they trigger a loud siren.

 

[Comodave]

I just ordered 4 wireless smoke detectors. I may end up putting one more up on the flybridge so we can hear them underway.

 

[Trawler Sandpiper]

Question for all the electrical guru guys out there.
You hear a lot about "electrical purity" from gensets and the effect on today's electronics. Would that have any bearing on the charging of LI batteries?

 

[Lepke]

Many fires start from overloaded circuits. A good preventative program is to read your power panel and other connections with a hand held temperature reading gun.

 

[slowgoesit]

With the possible culprit being thought to be portable device Li-ion batteries, how should we feel about using much bigger Li-ion house batteries. Seems to me that if there is risk of fire/explosion with small Li-ions then there may be a risk of much bigger fire/explosion while charging, say, an 8D Li-ion.

Lithium house batteries are generally LiFeP04 (Lithium Iron Phosphate), not standard Lithium ion. If you research the difference, you will find that LiFeP04 are much safer than other Lithium batteries.

 

[Taras]

I wanted to clarify that the wireless smoke / CO detectors do NOT need WiFi. They link to themselves through their own system. I just bought 8 new smoke/CO detectors (Kidde) due to the fact that I’d never hear an alarm in the bow, if I was in the aft cabin. Now, if one alarm goes off, they ALL go off. They are powered by their own battery and are super easy to install. You can buy them by the pair from Home Depot for about $80.
Money well spent.

 

[Steve]

A fire extinguisher cylinder, full or empty, would make a good window breaking tool if it comes to that.

 

[ksanders]

I just ordered 4 wireless smoke detectors. I may end up putting one more up on the flybridge so we can hear them underway.

Good idea!

As Steve pointed out a smoke detector behind your electrical panel is a Great idea!

I am a firm believer that many or most things that catch on fire on a boat smoke first, and catching a fire in the smoke phase might just save your boat or your life.

 

[Simi 60]

. I recently inspected a 3 year old vessel, whose safety pins had never been removed from fire extinguishers in the engine room and machinery space; which means neither of these units could have been discharged manually

Why would not have removing the pins prevent using them?
Over here the pins are held in with light fishing line easily broken when pulling the pin.........but then the pins fall out, get lost and triggers are inadvertently bumped.

 

[Comodave]

I ordered 4 detectors, the type that detects smoldering fire, one each for the engine room, electrical panel and the 2 cabins. If when I test them underway I cannot hear them on the flybridge I will get another one and put it up there. I got the wireless ones that announce what room the fire is in. The only problem is the choices don’t really correlate to a boat but rather a house.

 

[Xsbank]

My visitors are briefed that in case of a fire, all the extinguishers, buckets, axes etc. are there to get them off the boat. No heroics, insurance does that. Squirt, run, life jackets (grand kids call them “boat coats”), the hand-held radios then dinghy or swim.

 

[Portage_Bay]

Why would not have removing the pins prevent using them?
Over here the pins are held in with light fishing line easily broken when pulling the pin.........but then the pins fall out, get lost and triggers are inadvertently bumped.

I'm thinking Steve is referring to the safety pins installed in a fixed system to prevent accidentally setting it off during shipment and installation. This would not be the pin in the handle of a portable or the pin at the remote manual release station of a fixed system.

 

[sdowney717]

They did not post a watch, so were in violation.

https://ktla.com/2019/09/12/prelimi...fire-off-santa-cruz-island-expected-thursday/

Management failure, or no one wants to stay awake all night watching, caused the deaths of all those people. Its not a volunteer job keeping watch, crew members are paid.

A California scuba dive boat was operating in violation of Coast Guard regulations when crew members were sleeping and a pre-dawn fire killed 34 people, leaving grieving families wondering if a required night watchman could have saved their loved ones.

Opens the door to expensive litigation, who had the duty of care, well they failed in their duty of care.

 

[BandB]

They did not post a watch, so were in violation.

https://ktla.com/2019/09/12/prelimi...fire-off-santa-cruz-island-expected-thursday/

Management failure, or no one wants to stay awake all night watching, caused the deaths of all those people. Its not a volunteer job keeping watch, crew members are paid.



Opens the door to expensive litigation, who had the duty of care, well they failed in their duty of care.

Unfortunately, doesn't open that door very widely as the owner has already filed for protection under the 1851 law that TOTE used after their slaughter in Joaquin. Now this limits liability to the value of the boat. Whether it applies in this case and then who it applies to are to be determined. My non-professional opinion is it applies to crew but not to paid passengers.

Here's a long discussion of that law.

https://www.gilmanbedigian.com/maritime-law-limitation-liability-act

 

[ksanders]

Unfortunately, doesn't open that door very widely as the owner has already filed for protection under the 1851 law that TOTE used after their slaughter in Joaquin. Now this limits liability to the value of the boat. Whether it applies in this case and then who it applies to are to be determined. My non-professional opinion is it applies to crew but not to paid passengers.

Here's a long discussion of that law.

https://www.gilmanbedigian.com/maritime-law-limitation-liability-act

Thanks!

That was a Very informative link!

 

[Steve DAntonio]

Why would not have removing the pins prevent using them?
Over here the pins are held in with light fishing line easily broken when pulling the pin.........but then the pins fall out, get lost and triggers are inadvertently bumped.

The shipping/service pin is located on the bottle's nozzle itself, to prevent accidental discharge when in shipment, during installation or when being weighed for service, it must be removed for the bottle to be discharged manually.

The manual discharge handle located in the accommodation space also has a pin, held in place with a light plastic tie (NEVER use a wire tie, I've seen this), it's easily pulled to manually discharge. The article and tutorial video link I included explains this with photos.

(In China, in transit to Malaysia)

 

[Steve DAntonio]

It's in the article link on smoke detector selection, however, I prefer detectors that photoelectric (PE) rather then ionizing (I) technology. PE are more sensitive to smoky fires, like those that occur with the materials used to build boats. Combination PE and I are OK as well.

(In China, in transit to Malaysia)

 

[seadragonbahamas]

It should be noted that smoke inhalation and carbon monoxide are the reak killers in advance of the heat and flames. A Carbon Monoxide alarm in addition to the smoke detectors should be installed in all passenger cabins and closed spaces.

I also added a temperature switch (adjustable) in the engine room. Set it just above the maximum operating temperature for this space. Set to ring a bell if temp goes over the set point. Smoke alarms in the engine room don't work very well. Sensitive to operating fumes and not loud enough to hear over the engine noise. I think the switch I used was a blower activation switch used for furnace circulating air.

 

[auskiwi]

Thank you Steve for a timely reminder to get it right. On purchasing my present boat 2 years ago, on checking the fire extinguishers, found they were all original, dated 1996, I am the 4th owner, how many surveys had the boat had, and no one saw they were well past there use by dates. Yes I have replaced them with new plus extras. Also no smoke or Co alarms installed, but now fitted.

 

[BruceK]

Unfortunately, doesn't open that door very widely as the owner has already filed for protection under the 1851 law that TOTE used after their slaughter in Joaquin. Now this limits liability to the value of the boat. Whether it applies in this case and then who it applies to are to be determined. My non-professional opinion is it applies to crew but not to paid passengers.

Here's a long discussion of that law.

https://www.gilmanbedigian.com/maritime-law-limitation-liability-act

We used to have some English law we adopted, I think the Merchant Shipping Act 1894 which limited damages to the length of the vessel multiplied by an unindexed quantity of French francs.(No, no idea why!) It was still operative in the 1970s when I was acting for a couple horribly injured when a timber gas powered corporate (AVIS) boat blew up in Sydney. Caused us much concern re settle or fight on. Gone now I think.

 

[ssobol]

...If the device you are charging (like a phone) shows a message like "slow charging" that means the cable and/or charger are limiting out on voltage/current (bad!) So feel around to see of any of the parts are hot/warm.
...

Could just mean you are using a lower current charger/power outlet than the one that came with the device.