Fire Extinguishers

[hotajax]

I have an Adventure, 20-footer. I bought it last year with two installed extinguishers. The surveyor told me they were fine last year. I really wasn't paying attention to him at the time, because I was goo-goo over the boat I was about to buy.

Question: Is two the required number for a boat of this length? If my boat's on fire, I'm out of there yesterday, I'm not sticking around to use two fire extinguishers on it. When does an extinguisher go bad by Coast Guard standards? Is it always good if the needle shows it to be good, or is there some sort of date requirement?

 

[ElyseM]

at least one B-1 is required. make sure they are always in "green" and if they are dry chemical shake them up every now and then.

for me, jumping overboard would be the option only after i tried to put out the fire. i have 3 on the gulfstream. i will be looking into putting an automatic in the bilge of the 330 when we get it. ron

 

[hotajax]

How long is it good for? As long as it's "in the green", or is there some requirement about how long it has been in service?

 

[ElyseM]

i do not have any expiration dates on mine. let's see if someone with tech knowledge chimes in. i would trash it if it looks damaged or fouled in any way, regardless of expiration info. they can be tested, but unless they are big units, i think a new one would be cheaper.

 

[seasick]

There is no set expiration. Check the gauge and every season rap the bottle with a rubber hammer to 'break' up the chemicals that tend to settle. Shaking might not be sufficient.
Only one is mandated for your boat but keeping an second is not a bad idea. Keep the second away from the first. You might not be able to get to one depending on the fire's location.
Should you have a fire of any kind, the first thing to do (assuming you have a PFD on) is make a Mayday call. Don't waste a lot of time but try to get a message out. DSC equipped radios are good to have.
If you have a cabin fire from let's say a dropped cigarette, you might be able to supress it. Try that extinguisher . If you have a fuel fire , get ready to abondon ship. Shut down the engine if possible. If you can get to the main battery switch without putting yourself in peril, shut that off(you made that mayday call didn't you?). If the fire relatively small, give the extinguisher a shot but if the fire does not extinguish, it's time to leave.
One more thing. Many electrical fires start as smoke with no visible flames. Regardless, make that call and prepare to abandon ship. Electrical fires are tough to extinguish and are often hidden under the deck, in the bilge, in the rigging tubes or under the console.
If you have a ditch kit, make sure to take it overboard.
Outboard engine fires can usually be contained as long as the fuel is shut off and the batteries are disconnected. Bilge fires are the worst. You have to be careful since openning any hatches adds air to the fire. On your boat, opening the lid to shut the batteries lets more air into the bilge.
Man, just typing this reply is giving me the creeps.

 

[ElyseM]

Man, just typing this reply is giving me the creeps.

right! but thinking about it ahead of time, with a thought out game plan, can mean the difference between a good and bad outcome; just ask Sully.

 

[ocnslr]

I spent 28 years in the USN, most on surface ships and most of that in engineering billets.

As we trained everyone on the ship..

Q: What is the difference between a fire in your house and a fire on your ship?

A: You get to run AWAY from the fire in your house..

 

[Tashmoo]

For all, putting out a gasoline fire with an extinguisher is not as easy as one might think. At one of my clients that has lots of flammable bad stuff on hand as part of their process they had the fire department come in a train all of the employees on how to put out a fuel based fire. The trick is to put it out without splatter the fuel and making the fire worse. The technique they showed was to start about a foot or so away from the base of the fire and rotate the extinguisher stream up into the fire. The absolute NO NO was to spray directly into the fire, in every case when someone sprayed straight into the fire it did not put out the fire and/or made things worse.

I practiced with a trashcan lid and a little bit of gas in my driveway it was worth the exercise.

Hopefully we have Firemen out there that can chime in here with advice.