Dangers of Machinery Space Fires

Any fire on board poses a threat to the safety of the ship and its crew. But by far the most
dangerous is a machinery space fire. It can cripple a vessel, deprive it of power and leave the
ship at the mercy of the elements.

Machinery spaces contain all the elements to start and sustain a fire -heat, air, and fuel. In
particular, there is usually an abundance of fuel, particularly in the engine room-for example,
fuel oil, lubricating oil, and hydraulic oil. Because the engine room is at the heart of a vessel,
a fire will spread rapidly to other parts of the ship.

Fire fighting conditions are difficult .Access is confined and temperatures can be very high.
Using water in these conditions creates a great deal of steam and high levels of humidity. BA
activity in these conditions must be strictly controlled to avoid the effects of heat and
humidity.

If a fire occurs in the engine room, temperatures can quickly rise to more than 600 Celsius
enough to melt aluminum, cause plastic switches to burst into flame, and ignite paint. Within

From the sounding of the alarm, you may have a few minutes before the fire is burning
perilously out of control.

The Causes of Machinery Space Fires

It is the job of machinery spaces- the engine room, generator, pump houses and so forth- to
convert fuel into mechanical and electrical energy.

Part of this process involves pumping oil under pressure. Around two-thirds of all engine
room fires are caused by high pressure oil line fractures. Because the oil is under pressure, it
can take just minutes for the fire to get completely out of control.

Machinery space fires typically fall into one of the five categories:

Uptake, funnel, economiser, and superheater fires.

Oil mist and crankcase explosion.
Scavenger fire.
Electrical problems.
Switchboard fires involving high voltage.

Though each result from a combination of different circumstances, machinery space fires
dont just happen. They occur because heat, air and fuel combine to create combustion.

In the engine room, there are many sources of ignition. As well as obvious ones such as sparks
from angel grinders and welding equipment, or damaged electrical wiring that can overheat
and short-circuit, there are less obvious ones: such as discharge of static producing sparks and
the hot, dry atmosphere of the engine room is ideal for the build up of static charges. If rubber
or composition boots are worn you may be electrically insulated from the ship; if you then
handle flammable liquids such as discharge of static producing sparks and the hot, dry
atmosphere of the engine room is ideal for the build up of static charges. If rubber or
composition boots are worn you may be electrically insulated from the ship; if you then
handle flammable liquids such as paint without earthing yourself (touch the ship) there may
be spark ignition. Pouring some liquids generates static.

Engines, pumps, and other machinery also generate heat. Hot surfaces can vaporise
flammable liquids, charging a safe product into an unstable, combustible, vapour.

Some chemicals used in engine rooms are oxidizing agents and can start fires in contact with
organic material such as rags.

Firefighting in Machinery Spaces

Modern ships equipped with automatic fire sensors can detect a developing fire in its earliest
stages. Even if you cannot see smoke or flames, assume that the alarm is genuine; it may be
result of a tiny leak in a pressurized fuel line.

The rules in a machinery space are the same as elsewhere.

FIND A FIRE
ISOLATE IT
REPORT IT
EXTINGUISH IT OR ESCAPE

If the fire is small and there is not too much smoke, tackle the fire with a suitable
extinguisher. In machinery spaces, there is high voltage electricity so try to isolate the circuits.
For this type of fire, use dry powder or CO2.
Isolation is crucial in machinery space fires: isolate oil and diesel valves and switch off the
pumps that feed them. Use the panel by the emergency generator or in the alleyway.
Fire fighting conditions are difficult in such spaces. Access is confined and temperatures can
be very high. Using water in these conditions creates a great deal of steam and high levels of
humidity.BA activity in these conditions must be strictly controlled to avoid the effects of heat
and humidity.
Hydrocarbon fires rapidly produce high temperatures and high levels of radiated heat from the
flames. Entry must be made from as mow down as possible and partial ventilation maintained
to remove heat and humidity as long as people remain inside.
Evacuate unnecessary crew members from the machinery space. From the engine room, this
will often involve using the escape trunking.Use the protected escape route rather than the
normal vertical routes. Smoke and heat rise creating greater dangers the higher you go. Even
so, wear 10 minute escape hoods for extra protection, where provided.
Once the engine room personnel are safe, close off engine room ventilation fans that may feed
the fire with air.
It is essential that everyone goes to their muster station. The first task of the officer in charge
is to carry out a roll call. If someone is missing, injured, or trapped a research and rescue
party, equipped with breathing apparatus, must go to find them.
Dont forget that a ship is a three-dimensional object. When planning to stop the spread of a
fire, you must take into account the areas below-and particularly above-the fire, as well as all
four sides.
The use of transparent overlays to provide a three dimensional representation of the risks and
hazards above and below the fire zone.