• 8. (1) A sprinkler system required by these Regulations shall

  • (a) be of a design approved by the Board; and

  • (b) be constructed and installed in accordance with the requirements of Schedule VI to these Regulations and of the Hull Construction Regulations.

• (2) Notwithstanding subsection (1), an inspector may issue a certificate if an existing sprinkler system installed before March 19, 1964, is in good condition and complies in general with the requirements of these Regulations.

• 9. (1) Before issuing a certificate, an inspector shall inspect and test the fire-extinguishing equipment and the sprinkler, detection and alarm systems of all ships to which these Regulations apply, except those described in subsection (2), in order to ensure that the equipment has been installed in accordance with approved plans and complies with the requirements of the Act and these Regulations.

• (2) Notwithstanding subsection (1), an inspector may omit to test for the purposes of that subsection the fire-extinguishing equipment of ships not over five tons, gross tonnage, that carry more than 12 passengers if, on inspection, he considers that testing is not necessary.

• 10. (1) Ships that are

  • (a) passenger steamships over five tons, gross tonnage,

  • (b) non-passenger steamships over five tons, gross tonnage, if fitted with a boiler that is subject to annual inspection, or

  • (c) non-passenger steamships over 150 tons, gross tonnage,

  shall undergo annual inspection of fire extinguishing equipment as set forth in section 11.

• (2) Non-passenger steamships over 15 tons, gross tonnage, but not over 150 tons, gross tonnage, that are not fitted with a boiler, shall undergo inspection of fire extinguishing equipment as set forth in section 11, at least once in every four years.

• (3) Ships not over five tons, gross tonnage, that carry more than 12 passengers shall undergo annual inspection of fire-extinguishing equipment as set forth in section 11 to the extent considered appropriate by the Divisional Supervisor.

11. Whenever a ship is inspected, the following procedures apply:

• (a) fire hoses shall be rigged and fire pumps operated to produce the required jets of water, and where an emergency pump is provided and the generator that supplies the power is situated above the bulkhead deck, the generator shall be started up and the pump shall be operated to produce the jets of water without anyone having to enter the machinery space;

• (b) in the case of ships fitted with fixed foam installations in machinery spaces, the foam-forming qualities of the solutions shall be checked, and the control gear and the distribution system shall be examined;

• (c) in the case of ships fitted, in machinery or cargo spaces, with fixed gas fire smothering installations,

  • (i) the operating gear, gas distribution system and every audible alarm fitted to warn of the imminent release of gas shall be examined and tested,

  • (ii) the quantity of gas in every gas cylinder in such installation shall be determined

    • (A) by weighing, or

    • (B) where the temperature of the gas cylinder and its contents does not exceed 28°C, by weighing or by a liquid level detector,

  • (iii) every gas cylinder in such installations that contains less than 90 per cent of its rated full capacity of gas shall be recharged to its rated full capacity, and

  • (iv) where a gas cylinder in such installations is to be recharged and, according to the markings on the cylinder, five or more years have elapsed since the date of the last hydraulic test, the cylinder shall be emptied and hydraulically tested and the date of the test shall be stamped on the cylinder;

• (d) the means of excluding air from machinery spaces shall be inspected by closing openings and shutting off fans from a position outside the spaces concerned;

• (e) in the case of ships fitted with fixed smothering steam installations for cargo spaces, the installations shall be tested if the holds are clear of cargo by removing blank flanges, where fitted, and injecting a short blow of steam into each of the spaces in turn;

• (f) fire detecting systems for cargo spaces shall be inspected by seeing whether smoke from the various compartments can be detected visually, by sounding the audible alarm and by switching over the exhausts into the control station to determine if the smell of smoke can be detected;

• (g) all manual alarms shall be tested and, in all ships fitted with sprinkler installations, the manual alarm shall be readily distinguishable from the signal given when a sprinkler head comes into operation;

• (h) in the case of portable and non-portable fluid fire extinguishers, that is to say, those discharging water or foam, the operating mechanism and hose shall be examined and the extinguishers shall be emptied and recharged; and where the inspector has reason to doubt the condition of an extinguisher it shall be tested by hydraulic pressure to 2 068 kPa, and the date this test was carried out shall be marked on the extinguisher;

• (i) every gas extinguisher shall

  • (i) be weighed to determine the quantity of gas in the extinguisher,

  • (ii) where it contains less than 90 per cent of its rated full capacity of gas, be recharged to its rated full capacity, and

  • (iii) where it is to be recharged and, according to the markings on the extinguisher, five or more years have elapsed since the date of the last hydraulic test, be emptied and hydraulically tested and the date of the test shall be stamped on the extinguisher;

• (j) dry chemical extinguishers shall be examined to ensure that they contain the specified weight of dry chemical and that they are in good operating condition; the cartridge shall be removed and weighed, and shall be renewed if it weighs 14 g less than the amount stamped on the cartridge;

• (k) carbon tetrachloride extinguishers shall be examined for satisfactory working condition and to see that they contain the specified amount of carbon tetrachloride;

• (l) in lieu of examining or witnessing tests of fire extinguishing equipment an inspector may, at his discretion, accept as proof of such an examination or test,

  • (i) in the case of a fixed fire-smothering installation or a fire extinguisher in which the extinguishing medium is stored under pressure, a certificate that attests to the examination or test issued by a company engaged in the manufacture or testing of fire-extinguishing equipment, and

  • (ii) in the case of a fire extinguisher of a type other than those described in subparagraph (i), a written statement that attests to the examination or test signed by the person who was in charge of the examination or test;

• (m) spare charges that are provided for portable extinguishers in accordance with the requirements of section 13 of Schedule IV shall be examined;

• (n) the inspector shall see that extinguishers have been tagged to show the date they were last charged;

• (o) the inspector shall see that portable fire extinguishers are stowed in positions whereby they will be readily accessible in the case of fire in the compartment in which they are intended to serve;

• (p) if extinguishers have been repainted the inspector shall see that the maker’s original marks were retained;

• (q) the inspector shall satisfy himself that breathing apparatus, smoke helmets and smoke masks are in good condition and that the air hose is of sufficient length for the particular ship; where the air hose is in two or more lengths for coupling together, the inspector shall satisfy himself that the proper male and female couplings are fitted to provide for one continuous length of hose; life lines and air hoses shall be stretched, harnesses shall be examined and the outfit and safety lamps shall be tested;

• (r) in ships fitted with sprinkler installations a general inspection of the installation shall be made and the following tests shall be carried out:

  • (i) the automatic cutting in of the sprinkler pump shall be tested,

  • (ii) in dry pipe systems, the tripping arrangement of all dry valves shall be tested and valves shall be properly reset after operation,

  • (iii) the pressure drop at which the pump cuts in shall be noted and care shall be taken to ensure that the level of the fresh water in the pressure tank is brought up to the correct level after the test,

  • (iv) the automatic alarms and indicators shall be tested by opening in rotation the test valve at each section and by operating the local switches at each section, and

  • (v) all sprinkler heads shall be examined;

• (s) where a public address system is required to be fitted in a ship by these Regulations, the inspector shall test the system and satisfy himself that it is effective and in good working order;

• (t) the inspector shall satisfy himself that all equipment, apparatus or appliances provided in accordance with these Regulations are in good working order and available for immediate use;

• (u) in ships fitted with oil-fired boilers or internal combustion engines, the inspector shall examine the bilges and tank tops in machinery spaces to see that there is no accumulation of oil which might create a fire hazard;

• (v) where the Regulations require an “adequate quantity of sand” to be provided, it shall be on the basis of not less than 30 L of sand for each 15 m of length of the ship.