Safety, Firefighting, and Emergency Procedures
The fire triangle and classes
Understand the fire triangle - fuel, oxygen, heat - and the fire classes and appropriate extinguishing agents. Water cools but conducts electricity and spreads flammable liquids; foam blankets liquid fires; dry chemical interrupts the chain reaction; carbon dioxide displaces oxygen in enclosed spaces. Candidates must match agent to fuel and space.
Enclosed spaces and hot work
Enclosed space entry requires testing for oxygen, flammable gas, and toxic gas, plus a standby person and communication. Hot work requires a permit, gas-freeing, fire watch, and removal of combustibles. These are frequent exam topics because they are frequent causes of casualties.
Emergency procedures
Know the emergency shutdown, the abandon-ship signal, man-overboard procedures, and the muster list. The person in charge must account for personnel and communicate with the vessel and shore.
Traps
- Using water on a flammable liquid fire.
- Entering an enclosed space without testing or a standby person.
- Performing hot work without a permit or fire watch.
- Assuming an extinguisher is suitable because it is nearby.
- Forgetting to account for all personnel at muster.
Worked rule of thumb
Match agent to class: Class A (ordinary combustibles) - water or foam; Class B (flammable liquids) - foam, dry chemical, CO2; Class C (electrical) - CO2 or dry chemical, never water; Class D (metals) - special dry powder. When in doubt, isolate the space, sound the alarm, and evacuate.