Fire Extinguishers

[OSHISWET]

Hello fellow Raiders . Can someone bring me up to speed on the rules of having a fire extinguisher on a boat.

Do all boats by law require one on board?

[Anroco]

Think they are required on all vessels with electric start, electric motors, gas or fuel stoves)

See below link:

http://www.maritime.nsw.gov.au/sbh/safetyequip_tables.html

Also, make sure they are in date or serviced.

CHeeRS

Antun

Edited March 20, 2010 by Anroco

[idolz]

"""Fire extinguisher (vessels with electric start, electric motors, gas or fuel stoves)""" straight off the MARITIME website,,,, better carry one anyway.....but dont forget the Maritime arsoles cruise around and check if the fire extinguisher had been checked or it is still in date, if it isnt you cop a fine.....

[cameldownunder]

I dropped once the question on this forum if it is true that if stored in unprotected places, say attached to the side of the boat, the extinguisher has to be inspected every six month.

Also, how much is a "service" to a fire extinguisher? Considering théy are not too expensive, to buy a new one might be cheaper

[Geoff]

"""Fire extinguisher (vessels with electric start, electric motors, gas or fuel stoves)""" straight off the MARITIME website,,,, better carry one anyway.....but dont forget the Maritime arsoles cruise around and check if the fire extinguisher had been checked or it is still in date, if it isnt you cop a fine.....

Have checked the Maritime reg's 2009 - 2010 hand book. The only reference other than that mentioned above is ,

Page 60 , "Have an approved fire extinguisher , service it regulary".

Page 71 , "Check the fire extinguisher is in good condition"

So , With no specific rules I'm not sure what they are going to check. There is no reference in the Maritime reg's that I could find relating to expiry or test dates.

Checked my extinguisher. There is no date of manufacture , expiry or when a retest is due either on the bottle or lable. The instructions advise , if the indicator is in the green section then it's OK.

There is reference to AS 1851.1 which states ,fire extinguisher need to be checked every 6 months.

At $ 24.95 for a new one , who would bother.

If Maritime did check , unless the extinguisher has been knocked about or signs of rust , ie , in good apparence how would they know it was not purchased in the past 2 - 3 months

Geoff

Edited March 21, 2010 by Geoff

[Trapper Tom]

G'day Geoff

Confirm that AS 1851 is the operative maintanance schedule for any fire extinguishers.

Can be in a a boat, building, truck or any other element requiring protection.

Yes they are required to be checked every 6 months. They are also required to have a metal date tag from the maintanance company attached which they clip after each maintanance so that it can be identified as being maintained. The maintanance company is also required to provide a certification of maintanance to the owner once they have done so.

No metal tag or no clip on the due date and yes you are busted by fisheries.

Cheers

Trapper Tom

[copafisher]

Jeez, this is an interesting one. It has taken me quite some time to check the legislation, marine regulations, Australian standards etc. FYI this is what I found, sorry about the long answer but most detail is relevant (I do compliance stuff so you need to check all the relevant legislation, standards, guidelines etc. I am still not sure I have the full picture for my boat )

Very important also - Check your extinguisher, if it's a dry chemical type then you should give it a shake and see if the powder has compacted or hardened at the bottom or side. I give mine a bash when I remember to make sure the powder is not compacted to make sure the extinguisher will work if I need to use it. I don’t recall an expiry date but check to make sure the indicator is in the green.

Cheers

Steve

http://www.legislation.nsw.gov.au/sessionalview/sessional/sr/2009-109.pdf

Schedule 4 Standard of safety equipment carried on recreational vessels (Clauses 83 and 84)

Fire extinguishers carried must be of a type suitable for the type of fuel carried on board the vessel as specified in Australian Standard AS 1799.1–1992, Small Pleasure Boats Code—General requirements for power boats (as in force from time to time). They must be designed and manufactured in accordance with an Australian Standard specification for portable fire extinguishers. Extinguishers must be stowed, so as to be readily accessible in the case of fire.

It appears AS 1799.1-1992 has been updated, there is a 2009 version out. I found a downloadable pdf at

http://www.nmsc.gov.au/media/pages_media_files/files/AS1799%20Small%20Craft%20-%20Part%2012-General%20Requirements%20for%20Power%20Boats.pdf

This indicates

6.1.1 Selection

The type of fire extinguishers to be carried on a boat shall be appropriate to the type of fires likely to be encountered.

NOTE: Guidance on the selection of suitable fire extinguishers is given in AS 2444, and in Appendix G.

6.1.2 General

All boats that are powered by a motor should carry at least one extinguisher of rating not less than 5B.

6.1.3 Large tanks

Boats that use petrol and have fuel tanks of capacity greater than 25 litres should carry at least one extinguisher of rating not less than 20B.

There are other requirements identified, you need to read to check requirements that may apply to your boat eg

6.3 INBOARD ENGINE COMPARTMENTS

On inboard boats where an automatic fire extinguishing system is not installed, provision shall be made so that a portable fire extinguisher can be discharged into the engine space while the engine cover remains closed.

I will have to get a copy to check AS 2444-and any relevant details. I could not access a copy online.

I googled and found a 20B rated extinguisher appears to be a 1 kilogram Dry Chemical Powder ABE which for my boat (4.8m bowrider) is what I have (see http://fireextinguishersales.com.au/byfirerating.htm )

In regards to maintenance , the Marine Regulations Clause 84 indicates

84 Minimum safety equipment to be carried on recreational vessels

(1) The owner and the operator of a vessel must ensure that the vessel carries the safety equipment: (a) specified in Part 1 of Schedule 5 in respect of the vessel, or ( if Part 2 of Schedule 5 modifies the operation of Part 1 of Schedule 5 in relation to the type of vessel concerned, in accordance with Part 1 of that Schedule as so modified.

(2) The owner and the operator of a vessel must ensure that the equipment required by this Regulation to be carried on the vessel complies with the standards specified in Schedule 4 in respect of the equipment.

(3) The owner and the operator of a vessel must ensure that the equipment required by this Regulation to be carried on the vessel is in good condition.

(4) The owner and the operator of a vessel must ensure that the equipment required by this Regulation to be carried on the vessel is maintained in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions (if any) provided for the equipment.

(5) The owner and the operator of a vessel must ensure that the equipment required by this Regulation to be carried on the vessel is replaced when the manufacturer’s specified expiry date (if any) for the equipment is reached.

(6) The owner and the operator of a vessel must ensure that the equipment required by this Regulation to be carried on the vessel is stored or placed so as to enable quick and easy access to it.

(7) The owner and the operator of a vessel must ensure that each person on board the vessel is aware of where the equipment required by this Regulation to be carried on the vessel is stored or placed.

(8) The Maritime Authority may, by notice in writing given to a person who is the owner or operator of a vessel, request the person to provide evidence of a kind specified in the notice relating to the maintenance, condition or storage of any equipment required by this Regulation to be carried on the vessel.

[Geoff]

I have a Quell brand extinguisher . Rang Chubb at Silverwater , the distribuitor of the Quell brand this morning. The guy was most helpfull & appreicated the problem with 6 month testing on 1 off small extinguishers.

He advised the normal cost was $12.00 if I bring the extinguisher into their office , however , considering a new one only cost $25.00 they may be able to review the service cost.

Fortunatly for me , Chubb are only 10 min away. If other Raiders want to have their extinguishers checked have a look on the net , there may be someone in your local area.

Geoff

[cameldownunder]

Does anyone know where to get the extinguisher serviced? And how much is it to have it serviced?

Interesting it states that the Extinguisher needs a tag. The one I bought NEW from the shop, does not have a tag !!!

Would be kind of weird, to buy a new Extinguisher, and get fined, because it doesnt have a tag !!

[Mik]

arsoles cruise around and check if the fire extinguisher had been checked or it is still in date, if it isnt you cop a fine.....

I don't really think calling them names is appropriate here mate, like it or not checking that people have the required safety gear is A) Part of their job & Something most people are more than happy to cooperate with if it helps keep fools & idiots off our waters.

Jeez, this is an interesting one. It has taken me quite some time to check the legislation, marine regulations, Australian standards etc. FYI this is what I found, sorry about the long answer but most detail is relevant (I do compliance stuff so you need to check all the relevant legislation, standards, guidelines etc. I am still not sure I have the full picture for my boat )

Some here may have been a part of or at least recall a recent post on this very subject, it was in fact at my request that the post be closed until the EXACT requirements & information could be passed on tho Raiders, there was a definate potential for members to get the wrong information on this subject so I volunteered to research it & find out. Unfortunatley I have found the same difficulty in trying to dig up exactly what is your responsibility as a boat owner with regards to fire extinguishers and in particular their maintenance & servicing. Its pretty clear what type & sizes you need but when it comes to maintenance & servicing its a real hard area to nail down.

It very much seems to be open to interpretation & this for me is kinda sad as there is alot of paper regulations that dont really do much except cover the proverbial bums of the buearocrates. Having said that, I can tell you that during my investigation which is too date incomplete (I appologise for that, I'll take the wrap for the lapse in updates on this although I am still waiting for several authorities to return my calls & emails) one quote which pretty much summed it all up for me was that during standard on water checks, the relevant authorities would more than likely check "Gauge pressure, location & general condition" of any fire equipment on recreational vessels, however, a footnote was added stating that if (God forbid) any incident occured where an investigation was required then it would more than likely come to pass that a much more "Thourough inspection of all saftey equipment" would be carried out & that may well include what the service & maintenance was for that vessels equipment.

The above footnote gave me all the information I needed to know (Even though it doesn't answer the real requirements question) and I have undertaken to ensure that all my extinguishers are serviced every 6 months & that they are checked in accordance with the manufacturers instruction. The fact that I use fire extinguishers for my work & already follow the recomendations of the supplier (Every 6 months inspected & serviced) for a low cost of about $4 per 1 to 4.5 kg extinguisher & $6 for 9kg extinguishers also helps make my decision easy. I do however understand that the question still remains as to what the EXACT requirement is.

For my money, the biggest issue is the small, no name brand extiguishers that are sold across the country which don't have gauges, don't have maintenance requirements on them but still detail that they are compliant with Australian Standards. How the hell is the average Joe meant to know those extinguishers may in fact be outside the requirements?

I am still working on a final & definative answer for all Raiders to reference, when I have it I will post it immediately.

Edited March 22, 2010 by Boofhead

[cameldownunder]

I called the shop I bought the extinguisher from, and the person on the other end of the line, knows little abour extinguisher needing services. It´s goot to have forum like this, where many people know or search answers.

This means I still dont know where to service my extinguisher. Any information about locations between Hornsby and Chatswood, that services extinguisher, is highly apreciated. PM if needed