A Fire extinguisher is a fire protection device and safety equipment that is used to extinguish or
control small fires. There are different types of fire extinguishers that are used to control minor
fires during the case of an emergency. Some of the common types of fire extinguishers are
cartridge operated and stored pressure. Cartridge-operated fire extinguishers carry the
extinguishing gas in different cartridges whereas store fire extinguishers, which is the most
common type of fire extinguisher, use various propellers on the basis of the agent used.
Types of Fire extinguishers:
Similarly fire extinguishers are also classified by letters and numbers. Such as 5-A, 5-B, 5-C,
10-A,10-B, 20-A, 20-B etc. The number indicates the size of the fire extinguisher and the letters
indicate the types of fires the extinguisher will put out.
– Type A fires are of combustible solids like wood.
– Type B fires are of flammable liquids like gasoline or oil.
– Type C fires are electrical fires.
Similarly at 10 A/B/C extinguishers contain more chemicals and will put out larger fires then 5
A/B/C extinguishers.
In case of Recreational boats:
Fire extinguisher is a necessary device that must be present in areas which are more prone to
catching fire such as kitchens, laboratories, offices.
Similar to its crucial need in other areas, fire extinguishers are also needed on boats to deal with
any kind of emergency and suppress fire as they can happen unexpectedly. They help to control
fire before it becomes large and uncontrollable.
In the case of recreational vessels it has become so crucial to carry a fire extinguisher that there
are specific rules and regulations that are published and enforced from recent years, to
determine which recreational boats are required to carry fire extinguishers and how many
numbers of fire extinguishers are required by such boats.
Recreational Boat’s Requirement to Carry Fire extinguishers:
All recreational boats that have:
– Close spaces that are capable of trapping fumes such as close storage compartments in
which flammable or combustible material is stored, close compartments under seats
where portable fuel tanks may be stored or double bottom that is not completely filled
with flotation material or closed living species etc.
– Built-in or permanently installed fuel tanks.
Similarly in the United States the coast guard has mandated some other requirements for
recreational boats to be carrying fire extinguishers.
– Such as boats that are less than 26 feet in length are required to carry at least one Type
B fire extinguisher because such kinds of vessels usually use fuel in portable tanks and
there are no areas within both where fuel vapors can be trapped. So to ensure safety in
cases of emergency only one Fire extinguisher is required.
– Boats that are between 20-40 feet in length are required to carry at least two Type B fire
extinguishers.
– Boats that are between 40 to 65 feet in length are required to carry at least 3 Type B fire
extinguishers.
The number of fire extinguishers to be carried by a recreational boat thus depends upon the
size of the boat, larger the size more the number of fire extinguishers will be needed.
