Boats Fires and the associated hazards...

[hudson144 150]

a post of an incident in rockland this am about several boats on fire,boat fires have additional hazards when they are in the water but many other problems are present when they are on dry dock. most boat clubs when they have boats in dry dock stack them right next to each other. when one boat goes up in flames chances are you will have other vessels involved also. i know the boat club involved and i am aware of the limited space that they have in the yard for storage. working around boats on dry dock may present some hazards that you may not be aware of. most boats are if they are not on a trailer placed on wood blocks on the hull or "keel" , they are then supported by jack stands on the port (left) starboard (right) sides with a stand near the bow and also at the stern. a collapse zone certainly needs to be established depending on the severity of the fire. if you are working on the port/starboard side of the boat remember that the only thing that is supporting the boat are those jacks. most boat yards this time of the year are vacant so early detection of the fire is not common allowing the fire to spread to others. many hazards fighting boat fires are present but we won't get into that ,lets go from here----

[hudson144 150]

ok i just spoke to a friend that has a boat there,they were in the water as posted by scott but lets still talk about dry dock boat fires,if i remember correctly NRFD had this type of fire either last year or the year before, how many gallon booster tank does marine 1 FDNY have?

[PCFD ENG58 1,085]

In port chester at the PCYC, IF A power cord is found hooked up and know one is around, you will find your boat off the property!

[e92l44 0]

Any boat fire is a foam operation. Have foam units dispatched upon receipt of alarm, as it is a long process to get into operation.

[ajsbear 11]

Today's boats are almost always fiberglass and that alone is a special hazard. Combine that with you never know what is stored on the boat in the way of chemicals, fuel, cushions etc. Be prepaired for potentially toxic smoke, anyone near the firezone should have a mask.

Collapse zones are important if they are in drydock. As said before they are stacked tightly during the off season. As they burn or melt, they are no longer balanced on the blocks they are on. Sailboats have an additionsl problem, most are stored with their mast still intact. When they become unbalanced and fall over they can reach out 30 feet or more. Creates a wide collapes zone, and if 2 or more sailboats are close together.........

Boatyard fires should not be taken lightly.

[Jybehofd 85]

I have taken Basic and Advance Marine Fire fighting, actually the best way to fight a boat fire is with foam. But something that is more popular with ships and boat owners are dry chem. extinguishers. By using the dry chem. you are not adding much additional weight to the boat. Water is not always the best thing for a boat/ship fire. You have to worry about the stability of the vessel.

When a vessel is on land the jack stand just support the side of the vessel, not the whole weight of the vessel. Most of the weight is transferred through the keel of the vessel. It is the lowest point and the backbone of every vessel. Normally at yards you will find large ruff cut timbers supporting this weight to the ground. The jack stands just prevent the vessel from falling over.

When a vessel is in the water stability is really important. Key ways to fight a marine fire are to use low and high velocity fog patterns. Also is the fire is small enough to knock it down with an extinguisher or extinguishers. Also along the commercial side where cargo can be involved using water can be deadly. Most cargo ships are HAZMAT incidents because of different cargoes on board, especially on container vessels.

[Guest]

ok i just spoke to a friend that has a boat there,they were in the water as posted by scott but lets still talk about dry dock boat fires,if i remember correctly NRFD had this type of fire either last year or the year before, how many gallon booster tank does marine 1 FDNY have?

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no booster tanks on fireboats...they are floating on the world's largest booster tank...as for main issues with boats in the water, I think exposure issues are paramount (after life of course). Most major marina fires get out of control with exposure. This can be avoided by taking the primary vessel on fire out of the picture. Cut lines, set adrift, or use another vessel to tow to an isolated area. Once there is a major fire on board most boats its totaled...no reason to fight the fire, let it burn to the waterline...then let the EPA and USCG know you have a fuel leak!

[hudson144 150]

thanks Jybehofd-very informative-add some more for us to learn from if you have some time-hudson

[Jybehofd 85]

thanks Jybehofd-very informative-add some more for us to learn from if you have some time-hudson

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Sure no problem. If you guys come up with some other issues about marine fire fighting let me know. But removing the boat from a marina is a good way to contain the fire to just the boat.

[Jason762 2]

This can be avoided by taking the primary vessel on fire out of the picture. Cut lines, set adrift, or use another vessel to tow to an isolated area. Once there is a major fire on board most boats its totaled...no reason to fight the fire, let it burn to the waterline...then let the EPA and USCG know you have a fuel leak!

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So if the boat is occupied by the owners who may be asleep, just let it go? Some people do live on their boats. A primary search or at least some sort of attempt to find out if anyone is on board has to be done. We don't just send off a boat that is on fire w/o first checking things out, right?

[JBE 328]

I would presume doing a primary and attempt knockdown before cutting mooring lines. Sometimes you don't have the luxury of a boat to tow away a burning vessel.

Dry chem works well, but be careful where you use it. Same with foam. If you protect an area with boatyards or marinas and you don't have a fireboat, have at least three or four cans of foam and an eductor on board an engine. Those 20 gallons of concentrate can go a long way.

[hudson144 150]

some people actually try to guess at that booster tank question!!!