Proper way to handle an engine fire

D

ddurand

Member
Member
Joined
Jun 20, 2001
RO Number
5015
Messages
837
If your boat has a hatch/cover you need to lift up to look at or get down into the engine area what is the proper procedure if you suspect an engine fire? Opening the hatch will let more oxygen in of course. Leaving it shut means it will keep on burning.

Assume no fire suggestion system but a few fire extinguishers are available.
 
This happened on our houseboat in March. We lost power and my wife noticed smoke coming from the engine compartment. I called 911 and as luck would have it, the sheriff's department had four or five boats on the lake conducting water training for multiple jurisdictions. They were about 3/4 mile away from where we shut down. I told dispatch that we had lots of smoke coming from the engine compartment, so I didn't want to open it. With two deputies standing by with extinguishers we slowly opened the hatch. Turns out the smoke was from oil burning off and there were no flames. Thank God!! In the meantime, the fire boat showed up, too, and a CalFire chopper buzzed us, too.

You pose a great question, though, so I'd like to hear what others think. If this happened again...without all the backup...I'd probably do it the same. Listen for fire, open slowly and take a peek, and be prepared to make a mess of the engine compartment with extinguishers standing by.
 
My engine hatch has a port to spray the flames without having to open the hatch...... Maybe consider adding one if possible.
 
If you own a boat, specially a gasser, without a fixed system in the engine compartment… here is your sign!

I ve bought a few of the new Element 100 fire extinguishers. They are not USCG approved so they cannot replace regular fire bottles but they are far superior. They generate a combustion killing gas for 100 seconds, leave no residue and aren’t toxic. They are also a lot smaller than conventional bottles. Perfect for cars too

elementfire.com

Element - Fire Extinguishers

80% smaller & has 5x the discharge time of a traditional fire extinguisher. Makes no mess, requires no service and will not cause additional damage to any of your possessions.
elementfire.com elementfire.com
 
PascalG said:
If you own a boat, specially a gasser, without a fixed system in the engine compartment… here is your sign!

I ve bought a few of the new Element 100 fire extinguishers. They are not USCG approved so they cannot replace regular fire bottles but they are far superior. They generate a combustion killing gas for 100 seconds, leave no residue and aren’t toxic. They are also a lot smaller than conventional bottles. Perfect for cars too

elementfire.com

Element - Fire Extinguishers

80% smaller & has 5x the discharge time of a traditional fire extinguisher. Makes no mess, requires no service and will not cause additional damage to any of your possessions.
elementfire.com elementfire.com
Click to expand...
I'll be ordering a couple of those. thanks for the tip. My houseboat requires a USFS permit and inspection. I'll do the USCG approved in addition to these.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top