Drills and surveys
Fire equipment surveys
The fire-fighting and escape equipment goes through periodic surveys and servicing. The proof is the service station’s sticker with the date and the expiry, on the equipment itself.
Key facts
- The equipment must be ready for immediate use at sea and in port; it is used only for emergencies and training.
- The annual survey of an extinguisher covers: the pin and the use indicator, the pressure indicator, an external examination, weighing and comparison with the nominal mass, the hose and nozzle, and the legibility of the instructions.
- The proof of the survey is a sticker, an inscription or a stamped mark with the name of the service station, the survey date, the expiry and a signature.
- The crew keeps the spare equipment in a fire store with a work bench for inspections. The rules recommend two stores, one of them in the superstructure area.
How it looks in practice
- The weekly and monthly inspections are usually run by the third officer, and on ships with a single watchkeeping officer, by that officer. They take ratings to help and go through the checklists, per the plan.
- The annual extinguisher service is done by a certified company: it takes the equipment ashore or replaces it with new, with the station’s sticker.
From the deck: sea practice, not regulation. Details vary with the ship and the owner.
Legal basis
SOLAS II-2/14 (operational readiness and maintenance).
This is not a legal text: when in doubt, the current wording of the Convention and the FSS Code decides.