Firefighting response for tight corners
Fighting a fire onboard any vessel is a challenging experience and it is essential that response units act fast, as the intricate spaces on most workboats can cause fire to spread very quickly.
Obviously speed and mobility is crucial, and low pressure systems allow firefighters to control the fire more easily in tight spaces. However, finding portable extinguishers that possess high enough lancing distances and flow rates is not easy.
On both inshore and offshore workboats both the equipment and the freight onboard can be bulky and valuable. Not only can this bulk cause access problems around the decks and holds, it also means it is essential that minimum fire damage is caused to it.
One solution is portable fire packs and trolleys that use water mist technology such as those from Advanced Firefighting Technology (AFT). These support dual-mode fire fighting; jet mode to achieve longer lancing distances and spray mode to blanket and cool the fire at closer quarters.
As a result, using a portable water mist trolley means that first response units can attack a fire outbreak from distance, especially if it is spreading quickly, and use the spray mode when the fire has initially been suppressed. This reduces the threat of further spreading or damage.
AFT has developed an application which creates the optimum droplet size, reducing the amount of excess water or foam and limiting the damage to the surrounding area. A secondary consideration is that when at sea, ships are effectively surrounded by water which cannot not be used to fight fire, as salt water corrodes standard fire extinguishers.
However, by making the extinguisher from stainless steel, salt water can be carried without corroding the containers it is in. Combining water with compressed air, water mist products also enable the use of salt water, particularly useful for smaller workboats with minimal space to store fire fighting equipment.
Manoeuvrability is key and the units’ ergonomically designed backpacks are ideal for moving through gangways and restricted doorways. As an alternative, larger craft with very long corridors may be more suited to something like the AFT trolley unit, which again is not particularly bulky but that makes it easier to get powerful, well stocked appliances to a fire in good time.
