Fixed systems
Fixed gas fire-extinguishing system
also: CO2 system
Floods the whole compartment with gas, most often CO2, and displaces the oxygen. It protects the engine room and cargo spaces; the crew must evacuate before it is released.
Key facts
- It works by total flooding: the gas smothers the fire in the whole volume of the protected space.
- It is operated from outside the protected space; before the gas goes in, the crew leaves the compartment.
- Before the gas is released, the system starts a warning alarm. Visual and audible signals warn the crew before the agent is discharged.
- The bottles and tanks and the remote release stations are marked with the symbols from the fire control plan.
Watch out
CO2 at extinguishing concentration does not support life. After the system has operated, the compartment may only be entered in breathing apparatus and by the procedure. Never "just for a moment, the smoke has settled".
How it looks in practice
- The muster list and the personal muster cards say it outright: before you let CO2 into a compartment, check that nobody is missing. That is what the muster and the head count at every alarm are for. The gas is released only on the Master’s order.
From the deck: sea practice, not regulation. Details vary with the ship and the owner.
Legal basis
SOLAS II-2 and FSS Code chapter 5 (fixed gas systems).
This is not a legal text: when in doubt, the current wording of the Convention and the FSS Code decides.
Related STCW training
Advanced fire fighting (STCW A-VI/3).