Condition Monitoring of Fire Fighting System on Ship

Benedictus Kenny Pradipta

4212101027
Department of Marine Engineering
Double Degree Marine Engineering

As we know, every ship needs a fire fighting system. It is a must for a ship. Who made it
as a must? It is regulation from classification societies. The made a standard that every single ship
has to install Fire Fighting system on it. The purpose is to prevent if a fire is happen on the ship.
Now, what is Fire Fighting system? Fire Fighting system a combination of some
components that will alarm the crews if there is a fire. In normal condition, it should be
automatically reacts and extinguish the fire. The main components of Fire Fighting system are:
1. Sensor
There are some types of sensors those are used for Fire Fighting System:
a. Fire sensor
b. Smoke sensor
c. Thermal sensor
These sensors have different function. Fire sensor will reacts if detects fire. Which
means, the fire is already happen. Even still small fire, it still risks for the safety of the
ship. Then, smoke sensor will reacts if there is a smoke. The smoke is a sign if there
will a fire. And thermal sensor will reacts if there is a thermal changing. But of course
the thermal sensor will only detects an extreme thermal changes that indicates there
will be a fire. Well, smoke sensor and thermal sensor are react even before the fire
happen. It means, they are work as fire prevention system. But the fire system works
as fire extinguisher system. But, these sensors have same function. They will alarm the
crews.
2. Sprinkle
This sprinkle has a function to spray the fire extinguisher material. When the fire or
smoke are detected, the sprinkle will do its job.
There are some materials could be sprayed by sprinkle depends on the ship type, ship
cargo, and its place on ship:

a. Water
Water is the most common material to extinguish fire. For example, if the fire
happens on the cargo deck of container ship, water is the most effective fire
extinguisher. There are no dangerous cargos that easy to be burned. And water
wont give damage to containers.
b. CO2
If the fire happens in the engine room, the fire extinguisher material should be
CO2. The reason is because CO2 is the safest and most effective material for fire
in engine room.
c. Foam
Well, depends on ship type and ship cargo, foam is not a bad idea for passenger
ship. It wont makes the passengers wet and lost oxygen.
3. Pumps
Pumps are work to pump out the fire extinguisher materials. When the sensor says there
is a fire happens, it will activate the whole Fire Fighting System. Then the pumps will
automatically work too. It will pump out the extinguisher material into the fire
extinguisher line until sprayed out from sprinkle.

What do we need to monitor from Fire Fighting system? All of those system components.
Each components has a possibility to fail. It will very dangerous if one of the component fails
when the fire happens. Even there is still manual or emergency Fire Extinguisher, the automatic
Fire Fighting system is the most powerful fire extinguisher system on the ship.
So the condition monitoring executions for Fire Fighting system is done every maintenance
time. Every time the ship ups on dock, Fire Fighting system condition has to be checked. Knowing
if it still work properly or there is a problem with it. If there is a problem, then it has to be fixed
on that maintenance. The reason is, Fire Fighting system is a critical system on a ship. It must be
works anytime a fire happens. If there is a problem and the crew has to fix it when a fire happens,
it will be too late. The fire will spread to the entire ship. Even if the Fire Fighting system is fixed,
it wont works at all.

What maintenances could be done with Fire Fighting system? As we know, sensors are
sensitive device. Well it could alarm us if a danger, like fire, happens. But, if the sensor has a little
trouble, then it wont work. It wont alarm us if a danger happens. So, one maintenance could be
done with Fire Fighting system is sensor checking. For example, the surveyor checks the Fire
Fighting system. If the surveyor finds a trouble with the sensor, he/she has to tell to the people
who do the maintenance or at least the ship owner. Then it will be fixed or replaced. Also with the
sprinkle and pumps.
Every single part of the Fire Fighting system has to works properly, even the valves. If one
of the part doesnt work properly, it will affects the next part of it, and finally it will affects the
entire system of Fire Fighting system. If the Fire Fighting system has a failure in the middle of
ocean during voyage and there is a fire on the ship, the only thing the crews do is jump into the
ocean and say good bye to their ship.
So, by doing a correct monitoring and correct maintenance for Fire Fighting system, could
prevent the ship collapse because of fire.