Last month we looked at the potential hazards associated with aircraft fires. This month we’re moving to the water to discuss a recent incident at a New Jersey marina where multiple boats caught fire.
Fighting a fire on a boat is completely different than battling a residential, commercial, industrial or mercantile fire. Unlike those calls, when a fire breaks out on a boat, there is no solid ground to work on.
At a marina, floating docks called slips are used to secure the boats. Walking on them can be tricky and it may be difficult to keep your balance, especially when waves are present. Responding firefighters will need to be mindful of maintaining their balance to avoid falling into the water. You can’t help anyone if you become a victim in need of rescue! Note: Ideally when working around deep water, it is recommended to wear a personal flotation device (PFD), but for firefighters, it is not possible to wear full PPE, including SCBA, as well as a PFD.
Boats are usually secured to the floating docks with a rope. If the fire burns the rope, the boat could float out into the water, toward other boats or even a building. This becomes a floating exposure issue.
Other boats docked nearby are floating exposures and can quickly become engulfed in flames due to the construction material used to build boats – fiberglass and other polymer-based materials. These materials are easily ignitable, and when they burn, they burn quickly. In addition, the fuel load includes the contents inside the boat, which, depending upon the size, can house the same amount of home furnishings as a residential structure.
Another issue that makes boat fires difficult to manage is marina access. Marinas have few pedestrian entrances, and some only have one. The entrance(s) will be narrow and not designed for transporting large equipment.
Stretching a hoseline or two may prove difficult because of the location of the entrance and how close the engine can be parked, as well as the distance from the entrance to the boat that is on fire.
In the video, fire boats are deployed – a great asset to use with these types of blazes. Fire boats can maneuver close to the boat on fire, allowing crews to apply water from various nozzles that are drawing water from below the boat and conduct a fire attack from multiple sides. Fire boats can also control the fuel spill that can (and likely will!) catch on fire by applying foam.
Not every fire department’s response area will include sources of water that have boats, but for the ones that do, boat fires are a very real possibility.
Preparation will be the key difference in a successful response, including pre-approved access and training for available fire boats to call in if the need arises
Training time
After watching this video with your company, your department should:
- Identify sources of water in your response area and preplan how to gain access to stretch a hoseline.
- Determine if there is a fire boat available for use; if not, then locate the closest one and determine the process for requesting assistance.
