-
What happened?
A fire drill exercise was being performed on a vessel.
A crew member tried to start the emergency fire pump from the bridge but was unable to do so.
The master immediately informed the chief engineer.
The chief engineer observed that the emergency fire pump main switch in the engine room was switched to local control.
The chief engineer switched it from ‘local control’ to ‘bridge remote control’ and informed the bridge to try again.
The attempt was successful, and it came online.
In the event of a real fire, the bridge would not have been able to start the fire pump.
-
Why did it happen?
The main control switch in the engine control room was switched to ‘local control’ instead of ‘bridge remote control’. This meant that the emergency fire pump could not be started from the bridge.
The chief engineer confirmed that when he had joined the vessel, he had found the main switch on local control but did nothing to correct it.
The chief engineer knew that during a drill the fire pump would be started from the bridge but did not follow procedure to ensure that this was possible.
The master and chief engineer incorrectly confirmed (during weekly and monthly checks) that the fire pump would work from the bridge.
-
What did they learn?
Ensure that the main switch in the engine room is always on ‘bridge remote control’.
Post signage on the switch to this effect.
Ask questions, be willing to exercise the stop work authority.
Treat drills and exercises seriously and guard against complacency.
Make sure that critical equipment checklists and tests are carried out accurately.
Handovers at crew shift change should be comprehensive (using a written record) and should cover all vital areas of concern.
-
Ask yourself or your crew
Are all essential switches in the correct position on your vessel? How do you know?
Is everyone on your vessel competent to be carry out their duties?
How would you carry out a stop work authority if you saw something out of place?
Do you find that drills are treated seriously? If not, why not? What can you do about this?
Add to homescreen
Content name
Select existing category:
Content name
New collection
Edit collection
What happened?
A fire drill exercise was being performed on a vessel.
A crew member tried to start the emergency fire pump from the bridge but was unable to do so.
The master immediately informed the chief engineer.
The chief engineer observed that the emergency fire pump main switch in the engine room was switched to local control.
The chief engineer switched it from ‘local control’ to ‘bridge remote control’ and informed the bridge to try again.
The attempt was successful, and it came online.
In the event of a real fire, the bridge would not have been able to start the fire pump.
Why did it happen?
The main control switch in the engine control room was switched to ‘local control’ instead of ‘bridge remote control’. This meant that the emergency fire pump could not be started from the bridge.
The chief engineer confirmed that when he had joined the vessel, he had found the main switch on local control but did nothing to correct it.
The chief engineer knew that during a drill the fire pump would be started from the bridge but did not follow procedure to ensure that this was possible.
The master and chief engineer incorrectly confirmed (during weekly and monthly checks) that the fire pump would work from the bridge.
What did they learn?
Ensure that the main switch in the engine room is always on ‘bridge remote control’.
Post signage on the switch to this effect.
Ask questions, be willing to exercise the stop work authority.
Treat drills and exercises seriously and guard against complacency.
Make sure that critical equipment checklists and tests are carried out accurately.
Handovers at crew shift change should be comprehensive (using a written record) and should cover all vital areas of concern.
Ask yourself or your crew
Are all essential switches in the correct position on your vessel? How do you know?
Is everyone on your vessel competent to be carry out their duties?
How would you carry out a stop work authority if you saw something out of place?
Do you find that drills are treated seriously? If not, why not? What can you do about this?
A fire drill exercise was being performed on a vessel. A crew member tried to start the emergency fire pump from the bridge but was unable to do so. The main switch in the engine room had been switched to local control. This meant that in the event of a real fire, the bridge would not have been able to start the fire pump.
