Fire on dive boat Conception in CA

[Akimbo]

A sprinkler system might save the boat, but not the occupants of the room. They would succumb to smoke inhalation before the fire got hot enough to set off the sprinklers. It's about early detection and egress.

The opposite is generally true. Sprinkler systems in buildings are designed to save people, by extending safe evacuation time, not property. However, they usually save a both.

The whole purpose of fire sprinkler systems is to extinguish fire quickly, before it spreads. That means less smoke and toxic gasses are generated. It also means the fire doesn't have time to compromise the structure and stability of the vessel. I agree that detection and egress are equally important because:

• Sprinklers might not succeed, especially in the case of a fuel fire.
• Egress is equally critical for sinking, collisions, and grounding.
• Any system can fail, especially in salt air environments. Redundancy is good.

 

[Bob DBF]

A simple and relatively inexpensive solution for small boats could have a dedicated tank of fresh water sized for the vessel that so it wouldn't make it unstable.

Brilliant, also minimal damage on accidental discharge. Just having the system in berthing and the lounge / galley areas would be sufficient, to my thinking.

Circuit breakers are the first line of defense on electrical fires in a sprinkler-protected space. It is a good idea to use GFCI circuit breakers on vessels anyway. Smaller boats are fine with fuses.

In addition a pressure or flow sensor in the standpipe could be made to trip the circuits in the effected areas. I doubt there is anything vital exposed in the compartments, what's going through can wait till its breached, along emergency compartment lighting.


Bob

 

[pepperbelly]

Any problems with individual divers taking their own smoke alarm onboard and keeping it at their berth?

 

[PDX Diver]

So the smoke alarms go off, it's dark, and everyone being suddenly awoken are disoriented. Makes me think of the directional indicators on the floor of airliners that direct you to the emergency exit. Seems something like this would be a good thing.

Isn't the emergency hatch is really meant for a sinking, when the other exit is underwater? In the case of smoke/fire everyone should be running for the main exit. This would also apply to the window exit in the galley/salon, I'm running for the back door even if it is in flames. Seems the criticism of the emergency hatch is not justified.

 

[Akimbo]

Any problems with individual divers taking their own smoke alarm onboard and keeping it at their berth?

None that I can see but wouldn't provide near as much warning as an alarm/sensor located close to the source, which may be in another compartment. That is why supervised fire alarm systems are so desirable, and required in the US for new buildings.

 

[Akimbo]

Isn't the emergency hatch is really meant for a sinking, when the other exit is underwater?

My understanding has been that they are for any reason that evacuation is required. The main entrance/exit could be blocked by fire, structurally compromised, or just too crowded,

 

[Ken Kurtis]

I would be interested to hear what some of the shops or clubs that charter the boats think? Ken/Reefseekers for example...

Here's what I wrote/posted last week as part of a much lengthier post (available on the landing page of www.reefseekers.com if you're interested):

At Reef Seekers, we don't really do overnight trips anymore on CA boats, but we certainly do overnight trips on foreign vessels (which may be subject to LESS regulation than US-flagged vessels). Next month, we're going to the Maldives on a liveaboard. In December we'll be in Mexico on another. Here are a couple of things we are implementing as Reef Seekers policy immediately:
(1) Once we have everyone on board, before the boat leaves port, and before anyone goes to sleep, we will as a group have a thorough walk-thru of the bunk/stateroom areas, clearly identify what the escape routes are, and review how to exit that area in the event of a fire, let alone one in the middle of the night.
(2) We will have that same discussion in reference to the boat capsizing and inverting.
(3) We will re-review this information with everyone halfway through the trip.
(4) We (meaning me or anyone else who is our group leader) will review with the captain of the vessel, what their procedures are for overnight watches, and whether that is roving or stationary or what.
(5) In an abundance of caution, we will unplug ALL battery/cell/computer/etc. chargers before the last person in our group goes to sleep each and every night.
(6) The group leader, in conjunction with the boat captain or boat DM, will test the boat smoke alarms on board EVERY NIGHT to insure they are working.

EDIT (added) - I've also suggested divers think about carrying a portable smoke alarm with them and get it in their sleeping area. Certainly works for local trips and I can't find any TSA reg that would prohibit them in checked or carry-on for foreign trips.

 

[PDX Diver]

The charging station could be on a timer that had to be reset every say 30 minutes. If no one was around to perform a reset, it would turn itself off.

 

[Ken Kurtis]

I would be interested to hear what some of the shops or clubs that charter the boats think?

One more thought on this.

Regardless of what any of the boat operators do or don't do (and I commend Mike Lever/Nautilus for being quickly proactive), the way divers perceive the situation has radically, suddenly, and unalterably changed as of the morning of September 2. Especially for SoCal divers, where we've had constant news stories about this for the last 12 days (today is the first day that there's not a front-page story in the L.A. Times about the accident), there is no way you're ever going on any boat again with the same attitude you had prior to the accident. You will look at escape hatches, escape routes, tightness of quarters, battery charging stations, fire extinguishers, and everything else we've been talking about. You will no longer just come on a dive boat without a heightened awareness of fire hazards and what the various responses will be available to you should something go wrong.

As I've said frequently in media interviews, hopefully something good can come out of all of this. And regardless of where we go from here, that heightened sense of awareness on the part of divers is a positive step forward.

- Ken

 

[PDX Diver]

My understanding has been that they are for any reason that evacuation is required. The main entrance/exit could be blocked by fire, structurally compromised, or just too crowded,

You don't expect a fire to become involved so quickly as to block a primary exit unless there is an accelerant involved. This is why suppression systems focus on locations like the engine room. Seems batteries are being identified as an accelerant and may warrant the same consideration.