Boat fire safety is an important and challenging issue to tackle. In reality, it's equally challenging whether you're using commercial marine vehicles or boats for personal use. In fact, fire hazards are more common on boats than many people assume. In the UK, 89 fire-related boat accidents or injuries occur every year. We must be appropriately prepared for a fire when sailing on the water.

Many of the fire hazards on boats are unique to that environment. At Fire Protection Shop, we’re dedicated to providing you with the correct fire safety products, no matter your environment. Our marine fire safety products are high-quality, reliable and highly effective.

Difficulties of extinguishing fires on boats

Firstly, it’s worth noting that many areas of a boat are very challenging to extinguish. For example, areas like the boat's engine compartment. Due to the compact size of these compartments, reaching and tackling a fire is extremely difficult. However, in these instances, automatic fire extinguishers are your best choice.

Automatic fire extinguishers are extremely useful for boat fires. They utilise a heat-sensitive bulb which when burst, will expel the extinguishing agent over the fire. This refuses oxygen to enter the space, therefore extinguishing the fire.

Fire hazards

There are various fire hazards present on boats. In particular, boats will typically have:

• Flammable liquids, including fuel, oil and propane.

• Electrical equipment. On most boats, electricals will bring a multitude of fire hazards.

• Cooking facilities present a fire risk due to the presence of hot oils and fats.

All of these fire hazards should encourage extra fire safety precautions. Some boat fire safety products are essential, whereas others are highly recommended. For example, with cooking fires, we recommend the presence of a fire blanket. Often this is the best way to tackle small Class F fires.

Choosing a fire extinguisher for your boat? There are requirements you need to be aware of. Depending on the size of your boat, we can dictate the number of fire extinguishers you will need. For example:

• A boat of up to 7m requires 2 fire extinguishers with a combined fire rating of 10A/89B.

Additionally, the number of extinguishers required also depends on another factor. Whether the boat has an engine or contains any cooking, heating, or fuel-burning appliances on board.

• A small, open boat with no cooker or engine only requires a single 5A/34B rated fire extinguisher.

No matter how many extinguishers you need on your boat, they should always be correctly stored.

MED, or Marine Equipment Directive, is a set of standards created by the EU to regulate the performance and quality of marine-based equipment. When you’re in open water, you need to be certain of the reliability and effectiveness of your fire safety solutions.

Marine fire extinguishers in the UK are also required to be compliant with the MRS, or Merchant Shipping Regulations, a new directive that came into place when Great Britain exited the European Union. The MRS requires the same stringent quality standards to be met as the MED.

The fire risks present on marine vehicles are significant enough that you need to be sure that your fire safety equipment always functions correctly. If your fire extinguishers are the wrong size or don’t contain a medium approved for use on marine equipment can present a serious risk to your safety.

These certifications allow you to be sure that your extinguishers and other equipment meet the highest possible standards of performance and reliability, as well as ensure that they are correctly suited to the specific needs of boats, ships, and other marine vehicles.

Our boat fire extinguishers are MED and MRS certified, providing you with total peace of mind, knowing that your fire safety equipment is fully compliant with maritime standards and is right for your needs.

In any environment, a fire blanket can be a life-saving addition to your fire safety procedures, and marine environments are no exception. Fire blankets are made of durable, flame-retardant materials and function by smothering the fire, starving it of oxygen and preventing it from spreading.

Fire blankets are stored in convenient, compact cases that are easy to store and can be quickly deployed in an emergency. No matter what kind of fire extinguisher you use on your boat, you should always have access to a fire blanket.