Fire on board - first response

On a small vessel the usual suspects are the engine room, the galley and the electrics. Keep bilges clean and oil-free. Fix dripping fuel lines at once. Never leave cooking unattended. A smell of burning is an emergency, not a nuisance.

Shout 'FIRE!' and say where: 'Fire in the engine room!' Then sound the alarm. Everyone has a role from the first second: one fights, one calls the skipper, one prepares the liferaft. Never investigate a smell of smoke alone.

Know where every extinguisher is: aim at the base of the flames, sweep, keep your back to the exit. Never water on fuel or electrical fires. If the first extinguisher fails - get out, close the door, starve it of air. A closed door is a fire wall.

Stop the engines, close the fuel valves, shut ventilation, close doors and hatches on the way out. The fuel shut-off and fire damper are the two most important controls on board - know where they are without looking.

Call it in: VHF channel 16, DSC distress if fitted. Vessel name, position, 'fire on board', people on board. Fires grow faster than you think, and rescue takes time. Get lifejackets on and prepare the liferaft while you still fight the fire.

Feel the engine-room door first. If it is hot, the fire is on the other side. Opening it feeds the fire air. Shut fuel and ventilation, and use the fixed system - it only works in a closed space.

Hot spots reignite; smouldering keeps burning where you cannot see. Keep watching the space. Ventilate carefully - smoke and extinguisher gas kill. Assume smoke inhalation, count the crew. Then record it in Vessel Plus as a deviation.

Extinguishers, fixed systems, liferafts, hoses and EPIRBs all have services and expiry dates. In Vessel Plus: track each item in the maintenance module, and log certificates with expiry dates. The daily digest warns you before anything runs out.

Decide who fights, who shuts down, who calls, who prepares the liferaft - then drill it until automatic. In Vessel Plus: set the fire drill as a recurring drill. It flags overdue in the daily digest and logs every execution.

Question 1 of 9

Where do most small-vessel fires start?

• The galley
• The engine room
• The fuel deck during bunkering
• Electrical panels in the wheelhouse

Question 2 of 9

What do you do first?

• Grab the nearest extinguisher and search for the source
• Wait to see if it spreads before alerting anyone
• Open doors and hatches to air the space out
• Shout the alarm with the location, never investigate alone

Question 3 of 9

What now?

• Fetch a bucket of water and finish it off
• Keep trying with a second extinguisher
• Open ventilation to clear the smoke for visibility
• Get out, close the door behind you, starve the fire of air

Question 4 of 9

What shuts the fire down?

• Fuel valves closed, ventilation shut, doors closed - then the fixed system
• The fixed system, with the door open for access
• Opening the door to aim an extinguisher better
• Water on everything, from the doorway

Question 5 of 9

When do you call the coastguard?

• Only after checking whether anyone is injured
• When the liferaft is already inflated and ready
• Early - even while the fire is still under control
• Only when the fire is clearly out of control

Question 6 of 9

What do you do?

• Cool the door with water, then open it
• Do not open it - shut down fuel and air, use the fixed system
• Open it slowly and carefully to assess the fire
• Open it and hold it open for the hose team

Question 7 of 9

What is the real risk now?

• Nothing - powder extinguishers make the space safe immediately
• Only the fuel system is still dangerous
• The fire is out, but the paperwork starts
• Hidden smouldering reignites; smoke and gas linger in the space

Question 8 of 9

What keeps emergency equipment ready for use?

• Extinguishers last indefinitely until they are used
• The yearly coastguard inspection covers everything
• Service tasks and expiry dates tracked before they run out
• Service is only needed after equipment has been used

Question 9 of 9

What makes the response work next time?

• A rehearsed drill with clear roles for every crew member
• Leaving every decision to the skipper alone
• Improvising - experienced crews handle it anyway
• Relying on the coastguard to direct the response