Vessel Fire Safety Regulations (SOR/2017-14)

Components

• 340 (1) The piping, valves and fittings of a fixed fire-extinguishing system must be made of galvanized steel or another material of equivalent corrosion and fire-resistance, and must be securely connected to one another and securely supported.

• (2) The components of the fixed fire-extinguishing system must be resistant to or protected from mechanical, chemical or other damage that could render them inoperative.

• (3) The relief valves of the fixed fire-extinguishing system must be safely vented.

Controls and Alarms

• 341 (1) Every fixed gas fire-extinguishing system that serves a machinery space must have a means of control that

  • (a) can be operated manually from a position that is outside the space and that is not likely to be cut off by a fire in the space;

  • (b) requires at least two steps to activate the system; and

  • (c) is readily accessible and simple to operate.

• (2) Means must be provided in the wheelhouse, or in a location readily accessible from the position where the means of control is located, to

  • (a) stop the ventilation fans that serve the machinery space; and

  • (b) shut off the source of power or fuel for any machinery or equipment in the machinery space that could contribute to sustaining a fire or create any other unsafe condition in the case of fire.

• (3) If the machinery space has a gross volume of more than 57 m³ or is normally occupied, the fixed fire-extinguishing system must not have an automatic means to release the extinguishing agent.

• (4) Unless the machinery space is too small for a crew member to enter it, the fixed fire-extinguishing system must have an alarm to warn of any impending release of the extinguishing agent. The alarm must

  • (a) be separate from any other alarm;

  • (b) have a sound that is distinct from the sound of any other signal or alarm in the space;

  • (c) have a sound level of more than 85 dB;

  • (d) if the space has an ambient noise level that exceeds the sound level of the alarm, have flashing red lights or beacons of sufficient intensity and number to alert the occupants of the space; and

  • (e) be set off automatically when the system is activated, and stay on for at least 20 seconds, or any longer period that is necessary to allow the occupants of the space to escape, before the agent is released.

• (5) If the fixed fire-extinguishing system has an automatic means to release the extinguishing agent,

  • (a) means must be provided in the wheelhouse to warn the occupants of the impending release of the extinguishing agent; and

  • (b) the means required by subsection (2) must be automatic.

Escape of Extinguishing Agent

• 342 (1) Every machinery space must be capable of keeping the quantity of the extinguishing agent required by subsection 345(2), 346(2) or 347(2), as the case may be, within the space for at least 15 minutes.

• (2) The openings that can admit air to, or allow the extinguishing agent to escape from, a machinery space must be capable of being closed from outside the space. The means of closing must meet the requirements of subsection 329(4).

• (3) The openings that are used to vent a machinery space must be vented to outside the vessel and not to a location in the vicinity of a muster station.

• (4) If the release of the extinguishing agent into a machinery space could cause over- or under-pressurization that would affect the integrity of the space, measures must be in place to protect the integrity of the space.

Information and Procedures

• 343 (1) A placard containing the following warning must be posted near the means of control for a fixed gas fire-extinguishing system:

  WARNING Harmful Gas — Do not release the gas until all crew members have evacuated the machinery space — Do not re-enter the machinery space until all gas has been removed and the space declared safe AVERTISSEMENT Gaz nocif — Ne pas libérer le gaz avant que tous les membres d’équipage aient évacué le local de machines — Ne pas retourner dans le local avant que tout le gaz ait été éliminé et que le local soit déclaré sécuritaire

• (2) A placard containing the following warning must be posted near the means of control for a fixed aerosol fire-extinguishing system:

  WARNING Harmful Aerosol — Do not release the aerosol until all crew members have evacuated the machinery space — Do not re-enter the machinery space until all aerosol has been removed and the space declared safe AVERTISSEMENT Aérosol nocif — Ne pas libérer l’aérosol avant que tous les membres d’équipage aient évacué le local de machines — Ne pas retourner dans le local avant que tout l’aérosol ait été éliminé et que le local soit déclaré sécuritaire

• (3) A placard containing the following warning must be posted at the entrance to an occupied machinery space:

  DANGER Space protected by fire-extinguishing system — Vacate space immediately when alarm sounds DANGER Local protégé par un système d’extinction d’incendie — Quitter le local immédiatement lorsque l’alarme retentit

• (4) Clear instructions for the safe operation of a fixed fire-extinguishing system must be kept near the means of control for the system.

• (5) The procedure to follow in case of a fire in a machinery space must be posted at each fire control station and must include instructions for

  • (a) stopping the ventilation fans that serve the space;

  • (b) shutting off the source of power or fuel for any machinery or equipment in the space that could contribute to sustaining a fire or create any other unsafe condition in the case of fire;

  • (c) closing the openings to the space;

  • (d) ensuring that nobody is in the space; and

  • (e) venting the space after the release of the extinguishing agent into the space, using an opening vented to outside the vessel and not to a location in the vicinity of a muster station or to any location where passengers or crew are present.

Containers

• 344 (1) A container that is used in a fixed fire-extinguishing system must be kept in a location where it is not exposed to severe weather conditions and where it is protected from mechanical, chemical or other damage.

• (2) Means must be provided to indicate whether the container has been discharged.

• (3) Means must be provided for the crew to safely check the quantity of extinguishing agent and the pressure in the container.

• (4) If the fixed fire-extinguishing system serves a machinery space, the container must be kept in a location that is

  • (a) readily accessible from outside the machinery space and, if feasible, from an open deck;

  • (b) safely vented to outside the vessel; and

  • (c) outside the accommodation spaces and the machinery space.

• (5) Despite paragraph (4)(c), unless the container contains carbon dioxide, the container may be kept in the machinery space if the space has a gross volume of not more than 57 m³ and is not normally occupied.

• (6) If the container is connected to a common manifold, a non-return valve must be installed to allow the container to be disconnected

  • (a) without affecting the use of the other containers connected to the common manifold; and

  • (b) in a manner that prevents any discharge at the point of disconnection when the fixed fire-extinguishing system is activated.

Fixed Carbon Dioxide Fire-extinguishing Systems

• 345 (1) For the purposes of subsection 339(2), in the case of a fixed carbon dioxide fire-extinguishing system, “certified for marine use by a product certification body” is to be read as “certified for marine use by a product certification body in accordance with the standard NFPA 12, entitled Standard on Carbon Dioxide Extinguishing Systems,”.

• (2) The quantity of carbon dioxide in a fixed carbon dioxide fire-extinguishing system that serves a machinery space must be sufficient to achieve, at a specific volume of 0.56 m³ per kilogram, a volume of free gas equal to

  • (a) 60% of the gross volume of the space, if that gross volume is not more than 14 m³;

  • (b) 40% of the gross volume of the space, if that gross volume is more than 136 m³; and

  • (c) the percentage obtained by linear interpolation between the percentages set out in paragraphs (a) and (b), if the gross volume of the space is more than 14 m³ but not more than 136 m³.

• (3) The fixed fire-extinguishing system must release a sufficient quantity of carbon dioxide to allow 85% of the quantity required by subsection (2) to be reached in 120 seconds or less in the machinery space.

Other Fixed Gas Fire-extinguishing Systems

• 346 (1) For the purposes of subsection 339(2), in the case of a fixed gas fire-extinguishing system that uses a gas other than carbon dioxide, “certified for marine use by a product certification body” is to be read as “certified for marine use by a product certification body in accordance with the standard NFPA 2001, entitled Standard on Clean Agent Fire Extinguishing Systems,”.

• (2) The quantity of gas in a fixed gas fire-extinguishing system that uses a gas other than carbon dioxide and that serves a machinery space must be sufficient to protect the space. The required quantity of gas must be calculated using the minimum expected ambient temperature in the space, the minimum design concentration of the gas and the net volume of the space.

• (3) The minimum design concentration of the gas is the greater of

  • (a) the concentration that is 30% above the minimum extinguishing concentration of the gas, when that concentration is determined by a cup burner test, and

  • (b) the extinguishing concentration of the gas, when that concentration is determined by full-scale testing.

• (4) The net volume of the machinery space is its gross volume, including the volume of the bilge, the volume of the casing and the volume of free air contained in compressed air receivers that can be released into the space in the event of a fire, minus the volume of objects in the space.

• (5) If the fixed fire-extinguishing system uses halocarbon as the extinguishing agent, the system must release a sufficient quantity of the agent to allow 95% of the minimum design concentration of the agent to be reached in 10 seconds or less in the machinery space. If the system uses an inert gas as the extinguishing agent, the system must release a sufficient quantity of the agent to allow 85% of the minimum design concentration of the agent to be reached in 120 seconds or less in the space.

Fixed Aerosol Fire-extinguishing Systems

• 347 (1) For the purposes of subsection 339(2), in the case of a fixed aerosol fire-extinguishing system,

  • (a) “certified for marine use by a product certification body” is to be read as “certified for marine use by a product certification body in accordance with the standard NFPA 2010, entitled Standard for Fixed Aerosol Fire Extinguishing Systems,”; and

  • (b) for the purpose of maintenance of the generator, a machinery space is to be considered a severe environment.

• (2) The quantity of aerosol in a fixed aerosol fire-extinguishing system that serves a machinery space must be sufficient to protect the space. The required quantity of aerosol must be calculated using the minimum expected ambient temperature in the space, the design application density of the aerosol, the net volume of the space and, if the system uses a condensed aerosol, the efficiency of the system’s generator.

• (3) The design application density of the aerosol must be at least 30% above the extinguishing application density, when the extinguishing application density of the aerosol is determined by full-scale testing.

• (4) The net volume of the machinery space is its gross volume, including the volume of the bilge, the volume of the casing, and the volume of free air contained in compressed air receivers that can be released into the space in the event of a fire, minus the volume of objects in the space.

• (5) The fixed fire-extinguishing system must release a sufficient quantity of aerosol to allow the design application density of the aerosol to be reached in 120 seconds or less in the machinery space.

[348 to 399 reserved]

PART 4Consequential and Related Amendments, Repeal and Coming into Force

Consequential Amendments

Hull Construction Regulations

400 [Amendments]

401 [Amendments]

402 [Amendment]

403 [Amendment]

404 [Amendment]

405 [Amendment]

406 [Amendment]