Marine Fire Extinguishers: Everything you need to know

You will find that fires are uncontrolled, frightening, and devastating at sea. For such circumstances, various coastal fire extinguishers enable you to make the difference between a problem & a catastrophe. A fire fighting system is one of the most important and popular safety gear you should have on your boat.

Marine fire extinguishers are essential personal flotation devices as they help deal with marine fires. In your boat, you can carry a fire extinguisher according to its length. It is highly recommended to purchase a fire fighting system for your boat because fire can happen unexpectedly. Now, it is the right time to install a fire extinguisher for the close compartments, fuel tanks, and an inboard engine in your boat. If you want to get familiar with an important piece of safety equipment for your boat, this blog is for you:-

Various Fire Extinguishers: Used on ships: –

Are you thinking of keeping a  marine fire extinguisher on your ship at a location that has a higher risk of fire? If yes, numerous types of fire fighting systems are higher in capacity and weight than the other fire extinguishers. Coastal fire extinguishers serve as the first-line defense that enables you to stop the fire exposure. When you are on the ship, use fire extinguishers based on the kind of fuel and fire. The marine fire extinguishers have been classified into three categories: portable, semi-portable & fixed-type fire fighting types of equipment.

In addition, all the details about the portable marine fire extinguishers have been given below:-

Portable marine fire extinguishers: Plunger type fire pieces of equipment: –

When you choose a fire extinguisher for your ship, keep in mind the various types of combustible material and fluids located in the particular parts of the ship. This fire fighting system is known as plunger-type fire extinguishers, used in the marine or maritime setup. All of its types have been given as below:-

1.) Soda Acid Extinguisher:

A soda acid fire extinguisher has two prime components named –Sodium Bicarbonate & Sulfuric Acid, which are combined to form a chemical reaction to produce carbon dioxide gas. This extinguisher is generally found in the ship’s accommodation area that enables you to smother the fire.

2.) Water Extinguisher:-

Out of the portable fire extinguishers, a water-type fire extinguisher is also the greatest firefighting equipment with an outer container or an inner container. The outer container of this portable extinguisher is filled with water, and on the other hand, its inner container is fitted with a carbon dioxide cartridge. So when you release its safety pin, water starts coming out of the container with the pressure that helps you extinguish the fire.

2.) Foam Extinguishers:-

Foam extinguishers are generally located near combustible liquids, and it has two main types:-

(I)Chemical foam type fire extinguisher

(ii) Mechanical foam type fire extinguisher

Chemical foam extinguisher: –

Two types of chemicals are used in this extinguisher. Its main outer container is filled with sodium bicarbonate, whereas its inner container is filled with aluminum sulfate & has a cap at the top. When you turn the plunger to release this cap, carbon dioxide is produced from the chemical reaction &pressurizes the container from inside or forces out the foam.

Mechanical foam extinguisher: –

This extinguisher consists of two containers-the outer container is filled with water, whereas the inner one has carbon dioxide charge and foam solution. It also uses a long hosepipe connected to the dip tube inside the fire extinguisher’s internal structure, which permits it to use the portable foam fire extinguisher. Its inner container has a plunger mechanism at the top; when it is depressed, it releases the carbon dioxide or allows foam & water to unite. The spray and water come out of the cock and create mechanical foam.

Carbon dioxide & dry powder extinguisher: –

A carbon dioxide extinguisher is not used for accommodation areas and confined spaces because it consists of lethal gas. You can use these extinguishers in the engine room. On the other hand, dry powder fire extinguishers contain sodium bicarbonate powder in their outer container and are mainly located near electrical pieces of equipment.

Hopefully, this blog will let you know every little detail about the fire extinguishers used on the ship.