6.8 Fire Fighting:

Purpose

(1) The purpose of this paragraph is to suppress and swiftly extinguish a fire in the space of origin by meeting the following functional requirements-

(a) fixed fire-extinguishing systems shall be installed, having due regard to the fire growth potential of the protected spaces; and
(b) fire-extinguishing appliances shall be readily available.

Water Supply Systems

(2) Ships shall be provided with fire pumps, fire mains, hydrants and hoses complying with the applicable requirements of this paragraph.

(3) Fire mains and hydrants shall comply with the following provisions-

(a) materials readily rendered ineffective by heat shall not be used for fire mains and hydrants unless adequately protected;
(b) the fire main pipes and hydrants shall be so placed that the fire hoses may be easily coupled to them;
(c) the arrangement of pipes and hydrants shall be such as to avoid the possibility of freezing;
(d) suitable drainage provisions shall be provided for fire main piping; and
(e) isolation valves shall be installed for all open deck fire main branches used for purposes other than fire fighting.

(4) The arrangements for the ready availability of water supply shall be-

(a) ships of 1,000 gross tonnage and upwards such that at least one effective jet of water is immediately available from any hydrant in an interior location and so as to ensure the continuation of the output of water by the automatic starting of one required fire pump;
(b) ships of less than 1,000 gross tonnage by automatic start of at least one fire pump or by remote starting from the navigation bridge of at least one fire pump. If the pump starts automatically or if the bottom valve cannot be opened from where the pump is remotely started, the bottom valve shall always be kept open; and
(c) if fitted with periodically unattended machinery space the Administration shall determine provisions for fixed water fire-extinguishing arrangements for such spaces equivalent to those required for normally attended machinery spaces.

(5) The diameter of the fire main and water service pipes shall be sufficient for the effective distribution of the maximum required discharge from two fire pumps operating simultaneously.

(6) Isolating valves, emergency fire pumps and their associated arrangements shall comply with the following provisions-

(a) isolating valves which separate the section of the fire main within the machinery space containing the main fire pump or pumps from the rest of the fire main shall be fitted in an easily accessible and tenable position outside the machinery spaces;
(b) the fire main shall be so arranged that when the isolating valves are shut all the hydrants on the ship, except those in the machinery space referred to above, can be supplied with water by another fire pump or an emergency fire pump;
(c) subject to paragraph (d), the emergency fire pump, its seawater inlet, and suction and delivery pipes and isolating valves shall be located outside the machinery space;
(d) if the arrangement referred to in paragraph (c) cannot be complied with, the sea-chest may be fitted in the machinery space if the valve is remotely controlled from a position in the same compartment as the emergency fire pump and the suction pipe is as short as practicable; and
(e) short lengths of suction or discharge piping may penetrate the machinery space, provided such pipes-
- (i) are enclosed in a substantial steel casing or are insulated to "A-60" class standards;
- (ii) have substantial wall thickness, but in no case less than 11 millimetres; and
- (iii) shall be welded except for the flanged connection to the sea inlet valve.

(7) A valve shall be fitted to serve each fire hydrant so that any fire hose may be removed while the fire pumps are in operation.

(8) Relief valves shall be provided in conjunction with fire pumps if the pumps are capable of developing a pressure exceeding the design pressure of the water service pipes, hydrants and hoses. These valves shall be so placed and adjusted as to prevent excessive pressure in any part of the fire main system.

(9) The number and position of hydrants shall be such that at least two jets of water not emanating from the same hydrant, one of which shall be from a single length of hose, may reach any part of the ship normally accessible, when the ship is being navigated, to the passengers or crew.

(10) In addition to the requirements in subsection (9), ships shall comply with the following-

(a) in the accommodation, service and machinery spaces, the number and position of hydrants shall be such that the requirements of subsection (9) may be complied with when all watertight doors and all doors in main vertical zone bulkheads are closed; and
(b) where access is provided to a machinery space of category A at a low level from an adjacent shaft tunnel, two hydrants shall be provided external to, but near the entrance to, that machinery space. Where such access is provided from other spaces, in one of those spaces two hydrants shall be provided near the entrance to the machinery space of category A. Such provision need not be made where the tunnel or adjacent spaces are not part of the escape route.

(11) With the two pumps simultaneously delivering water through the nozzles specified in subsection (22), with the quantity of water as specified in subsection (5), through any adjacent hydrants, the following minimum pressures shall be maintained at all hydrants-

Gross Tonnage	Minimum Pressure
4000 and upwards	0.40 N/mm²
Less than 4000	0.30 N/mm²

provided that the maximum pressure at any hydrant shall not exceed that at which the effective control of a fire hose can be demonstrated.

(12) Ships of 500 gross tonnage and upwards shall be provided with at least one international shore connection complying with the Fire Safety Systems Code.

(13) Facilities shall be available enabling such a connection to be used on either side of the ship.

(14) Sanitary, ballast, bilge or general service pumps may be accepted as fire pumps, provided that they are not normally used for pumping oil.

(15) Ships shall be provided with independently driven fire pumps as follows:

Gross Tonnage	No. of Pumps
4000 and upwards	At least three
Less than 4000	At least two

(16) The arrangement of sea connections, fire pumps and their sources of power shall be as to ensure that:

(a) in ships of 1,000 gross tonnage and upwards, in the event of a fire in any one compartment, all the fire pumps will not be put out of action; and
(b) in ships of less than 1,000 gross tonnage, if a fire in any one compartment could put all the pumps out of action, there shall be an alternative means consisting of an emergency fire pump complying with the provisions of the Fire Safety Systems Code with its source of power and sea connection located outside the space where the main fire pumps or their sources of power are located.

(17) The space containing the emergency fire pump shall not be contiguous to the boundaries of machinery spaces of category A or those spaces containing main fire pumps; provided that where this is not practicable, the common bulkhead between the two spaces shall be insulated to a standard of structural fire protection equivalent to that required for a control station.

(18) No direct access shall be permitted between the machinery space and the space containing the emergency fire pump and its source of power, provided that-

(a) when this is impracticable, the Administration may accept an arrangement where the access is by means of an airlock with the door of the machinery space being of "A-60" class standard and the other door being at least steel, both reasonably gastight, self-closing and without any hold-back arrangements;
(b) alternatively, the access may be through a watertight door capable of being operated from a space remote from the machinery space and the space containing the emergency fire pump and unlikely to be cut off in the event of fire in those spaces; and
(c) a second means of access to the space containing the emergency fire pump and its source of power shall be provided.

(19) Ventilation arrangements to the space containing the independent source of power for the emergency fire pump shall be such as to preclude, as far as practicable, the possibility of smoke from a machinery space fire entering or being drawn into that space.

(20) The required fire pumps shall be capable of delivering for fire-fighting purposes a quantity of water not less than two thirds of the quantity required to be dealt with by the bilge pumps when employed for bilge pumping at the pressure specified in subsection (11).

(21) Each of the required fire pumps shall-

(a) have a capacity not less than 80% of the total required capacity divided by the minimum number of required fire pumps, but in any case not less than 25 m³/h and each such pump shall in any event be capable of delivering at least the two required jets of water;
(b) be capable of supplying the fire main system under the required conditions,

and where more pumps than the minimum of required pumps are installed, such additional pumps shall have a capacity of at least 25m³/h and shall be capable of delivering at least the two jets of water required in subsection (9).

(22) Fire hoses shall-

(a) be of non-perishable material approved by the Administration;
(b) be sufficient in length to project a jet of water to any of the spaces in which they may be required to be used;
(c) each be provided with a nozzle and the necessary couplings;
(d) where specified in this Chapter as "fire hoses", be kept ready for use in conspicuous positions near the water service hydrants or connections, together with any necessary fittings and tools; and
(e) have a length of at least 10 metres, but not more than-
- (i) 15 metres in machinery spaces; and
- (ii) 20 metres in other spaces and open decks.

(23) Unless one hose and nozzle is provided for each hydrant in the ship, there shall be complete interchangeability of hose couplings and nozzles.

(24) Ships shall be provided with fire pumps, fire mains, hydrants and hoses complying with the applicable requirements of this section.

(25) There shall be at least one fire hose for each of the hydrants required by subsections (9) and (10) and these hoses shall be used only for the purposes of extinguishing fires or testing the fire-extinguishing apparatus at fire drills and surveys.

(26) Standard nozzle sizes shall be 12 millimetres, 16 millimetres and 19 millimetres or as near thereto as possible provided that larger diameter nozzles may be permitted at the discretion of the Administration.

(27) For accommodation and service spaces, a nozzle size greater than 12 millimetres need not be used.

(28) For machinery spaces and exterior locations, the nozzle size shall be such as to obtain the maximum discharge possible from two jets at the pressure prescribed in subsection (11) from the smallest pump, provided that a nozzle size greater than 19 millimetres need not be used.

(29) Nozzles shall be of an approved dual-purpose type (i.e. spray/jet type) incorporating a shutoff.

Portable fire extinguishers

(30) Portable fire extinguishers shall comply with the requirements of the Fire Safety Systems Code.

(31) Accommodation spaces, service spaces and control stations shall be provided with portable fire extinguishers of appropriate types and in sufficient number to the satisfaction of the Administration; ships of 1,000 gross tonnage and upwards shall carry at least five portable fire extinguishers.

(32) One of the portable fire extinguishers intended for use in any space shall be stowed near the entrance to that space.

(33) Carbon dioxide fire extinguishers shall not be placed in accommodation spaces. In control stations and other spaces containing electrical or electronic equipment or appliances necessary for the safety of the ship, fire extinguishers shall be provided whose extinguishing media are neither electrically conductive nor harmful to the equipment and appliances.

(34) Fire extinguishers shall be situated ready for use at easily visible places, which can be reached quickly and easily at any time in the event of a fire, and in such a way that their serviceability is not impaired by the weather, vibration or other external factors and portable fire extinguishers shall be provided with devices which indicate whether they have been used.

(35) Spare charges shall be provided for 100% of the first ten extinguishers and 50% of the remaining fire extinguishers capable of being recharged on board provided that not more than sixty total spare charges are required; instructions for recharging shall be carried on board.

(36) For fire extinguishers which cannot be recharged on board, additional portable fire extinguishers of the same quantity, type, capacity and number as determined in subsection (35) above shall be provided in lieu of spare charges.

Fixed fire-extinguishing systems

(37) A fixed fire-extinguishing system required by subsection (44) below may be any of the following systems-

(a) a fixed gas fire-extinguishing system complying with the provisions of the Fire Safety Systems Code;
(b) a fixed high-expansion foam fire-extinguishing system complying with the provisions of the Fire Safety Systems Code; and
(c) a fixed pressure water-spraying fire-extinguishing system complying with the provisions of the Fire Safety Systems Code.

(38) Where a fixed fire-extinguishing system not required by this Chapter is installed, it shall meet the requirements of the relevant requirements of this Chapter and the Fire Safety Systems Code.

(39) Fire-extinguishing systems using Halon 1211, 1301, and 2402 and perfluorocarbons shall be prohibited.

(40) In general, the Administration shall not permit the use of steam as a fire-extinguishing medium in fixed fire-extinguishing systems.

(41) Where a fixed gas fire-extinguishing system is used, openings which may admit air to, or allow gas to escape from, a protected space shall be capable of being closed from outside the protected space.

(42) When the fire-extinguishing medium is stored outside a protected space the storage shall comply with the following provisions^footnote-

(a) the medium shall be stored in a room which is located behind the forward collision bulkhead, and is used for no other purposes;
(b) any entrance to such a storage room shall preferably be from the open deck and shall be independent of the protected space;
(c) where the storage space is located below deck, it shall be located no more than one deck below the open deck and shall be directly accessible by a stairway or ladder from the open deck;
(d) spaces which are located below deck or spaces where access from the open deck is not provided shall be fitted with a mechanical ventilation system designed to take exhaust air from the bottom of the space and shall be sized to provide at least 6 air changes per hour;
(e) access doors shall open outwards, and bulkheads and decks, including doors and other means of closing any opening therein, which form the boundaries between such rooms and adjacent enclosed spaces shall be gastight; and
(f) for the purpose of the application of tables 6.1 and 6.2, such storage rooms shall be treated as control stations.

(43) Pumps, other than those serving the fire main, required for the provision of water for fire-extinguishing systems required by this Chapter, their sources of power and their controls shall be installed outside the space or spaces protected by such systems and shall be so arranged that a fire in the space or spaces protected will not put any such system out of action.

Fire-Extinguishing Arrangements in Machinery Spaces

(44) Machinery spaces of category A shall be provided with any one of the fixed fire-extinguishing systems in subsection (37) and in each case, if the engine-room and boiler room are not entirely separate, or if fuel oil can drain from the boiler room into the engine-room, the combined engine and boiler rooms shall be considered as one compartment.

(45) There shall be provided in each Machinery space of category A-

(a) at least one portable foam applicator unit complying with the provisions of the Fire Safety Systems Code;
(b) approved fire extinguishers, each of at least 45 litre capacity or equivalent, sufficient in number to enable foam or its equivalent to be directed onto any part of the fuel and lubricating oil pressure systems, gearing and other fire hazards;
(c) in addition, there shall be provided a sufficient number of portable foam extinguishers or equivalent which shall be so located that no point in the space is more than 10 metres walking distance from an extinguisher provided that there are at least two such extinguishers in each space.

(46) Where, in the opinion of the Administration, a fire hazard exists in any machinery space for which no specific provisions for fire-extinguishing appliances are prescribed there shall be provided in, or adjacent to, that space such a number of approved portable fire extinguishers or other means of fire extinction as the Administration may deem sufficient.

(47) Subject to subsection (48), machinery spaces of category A of any size^footnote shall, in addition to the fixed fire-extinguishing system required in subsection (44), be protected by an approved type of fixed water-based or equivalent local application fire-extinguishing system, based on the guidelines developed by the IMO^footnote and in the case of periodically unattended machinery spaces, the fire-extinguishing system shall have both automatic and manual release capabilities; in the case of continuously manned machinery spaces, the fire-extinguishing system is only required to have a manual release capability.

(48) The Administration may dispense with the requirement for a local application fire-extinguishing system as required in subsection (47) in machinery spaces of category A of less than 500m³ volume, taking due cognizance of the type of machinery installed in such space.

(49) Fixed local application fire-extinguishing systems are to protect areas such as the following without the necessity of engine shutdown, personnel evacuation, or sealing of the spaces:

(a) the fire hazard portions of internal combustion machinery;
(b) boiler fronts;
(c) the fire hazard portions of incinerators; and
(d) purifiers for heated fuel oil.

(50) Activation of any local application system shall comply with the following provisions-

(a) activation shall give a visual and distinct audible alarm in the protected space and at continuously manned stations;
(b) the alarm shall indicate the specific system activated; and
(c) the system alarm requirements described within this subsection are in addition to, and not a substitute for, the detection and fire alarm system required elsewhere in this Chapter.

Fire-Extinguishing Arrangements in Control Stations, Accommodation and Service Spaces

(51) An automatic sprinkler or water spray system shall be installed as required by section 6.5(10).

(52) A fixed pressure water-spraying fire-extinguishing system complying with the provisions of the Fire Safety Systems Code shall be installed on cabin balconies of ships to which 6.3(18) applies; where furniture and furnishings on such balconies are not as defined in section 6.7(1)(d), subparagraphs (i),(ii), (iii), (vi) and (vii): provided that this section need not apply where it is possible to readily direct a jet of water, for fire fighting purposes, on to such a balcony from the deck immediately above or adjacent and where such balcony is not adjacent to life saving appliances.

(53) Paint lockers shall be protected by either-

(a) a carbon dioxide system, designed to give a minimum volume of free gas equal to 40% of the gross volume of the protected space;
(b) a dry powder system, designed for at least 0.5 kg powder/m³;
(c) a water spraying or sprinkler system, designed for 5 l/m² min. Water spraying systems may be connected to the fire main of the ship; or
(d) a system providing equivalent protection, as determined by the Administration.

and in all cases, the system shall be operable from outside the protected space.

(54) Flammable liquid lockers shall be protected by an appropriate fire-extinguishing arrangement approved by the Administration.

(55) For lockers of a deck area of less than 4m², which do not give access to accommodation spaces, a portable carbon dioxide fire extinguisher sized to provide a minimum volume of free gas equal to 40% of the gross volume of the space may be accepted in lieu of a fixed system provided that-

(a) a discharge port shall be arranged in the locker to allow the discharge of the extinguisher without having to enter into the protected space;
(b) the required portable fire extinguisher shall be stowed adjacent to the port; and
(c) alternatively, a port or hose connection may be provided to facilitate the use of fire main water.

(56) Deep-fat cooking equipment installed in enclosed spaces or on open decks shall be fitted with the following-

(a) an automatic or manual fire-extinguishing system tested to an international standard acceptable to the IMO^footnote;
(b) a primary and backup thermostat with an alarm to alert the operator in the event of failure of either thermostat;
(c) arrangements for automatically shutting off the electrical power upon activation of the fire-extinguishing system;
(d) an alarm for indicating operation of the fire-extinguishing system in the galley where the equipment is installed; and
(e) controls for manual operation of the fire-extinguishing system which are clearly labelled for ready use by the crew.

Fire-Fighter's Outfits

(57) Types of fire-fighter's outfits-

(a) Fire-fighter’s outfits shall comply with the Fire Safety Systems Code; and
(b) Self-contained compressed air breathing apparatus of fire-fighter’s outfits shall comply with paragraph 2.1.2.2 of chapter 3 of the Fire Safety Systems Code by 1 July 2019.

(58) Ships shall carry-

(a) at least two fire-fighter's outfits;
(b) additionally, for every 80 metres, or part thereof, of the aggregate of the lengths of all passenger spaces and service spaces on the deck which carries such spaces or, if there is more than one such deck, on the deck which has the largest aggregate of such lengths, two fire-fighter’s outfits; and
(c) two sets of personal equipment, each set comprising the items stipulated in the Fire Safety Systems Code.

(59) The fire-fighter’s outfits or sets of personal equipment shall be kept ready for use in an easily accessible location that is permanently and clearly marked and, where more than one fire-fighter’s outfit or more than one set of personal equipment is carried, they shall be stored in widely separated positions.

(60) The Administration may require additional sets of personal equipment and breathing apparatus, having due regard to the size and layout of the ship.

(61) Two spare charges shall be provided for each required breathing apparatus. Ships that are equipped with suitably located means for fully recharging the air cylinders free from contamination need carry only one spare charge for each required apparatus.

(62) A minimum of two two-way portable radiotelephone apparatus for each fire party for fire-fighter’s communication shall be carried on board. Those two-way portable radiotelephone apparatus shall be of an explosion-proof type or intrinsically safe. Ships constructed before 1 July 2014 shall comply with the requirements of this subsection not later than the first survey after 1 July 2018.