A couple of weeks ago some of my close friends were setting out their shrimp poles when they noticed a large puff of black smoke come from an adjacent center console boat. At first they though perhaps it was coming from the boats motor but they quickly realized it was coming from inside the boat itself. They ran over to offer assistance, as they approached the saw the owner with a fire extinguisher in hand and the smoke was beginning to clear. When they inquired if the owner needed any assistance he said he had it under control. The embarrassed owner confessed he had installed some new halogen shrimping lights, he had failed to install a fuse or breaker with the installation, and the lights shorted out for some reason. Since the wires could not carry the load, they overheated burning all the insulation off the wire all the way back to the switch under the console. The fire started and thanks to a fire extinguisher close at hand ended very quickly. Boats are obviously loaded with fuel and combustible material so fires onboard can get serious very quickly. Earlier this fall Sea Tow released the list below on preventing boat fires, giving the incident my buddies just witnessed I thought it might be a good idea to get this info out there for all of us to keep in mind.
Only You Can Prevent Boat Fires
Although they are scary when they do occur, most boat fires are easy to prevent. Following these tips and procedures offered by Sea Tow and our non-profit Sea Tow Foundation can help you to fireproof you boat, or quickly contain a fire in the highly unlikely event one breaks out onboard.
15 Boat Fire Prevention Tips:
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Make sure you have the proper size and type of marine fire extinguishers on board. Depending on the size of your boat, you may need more than one. Check the U.S. Coast Guard Federal Requirements brochure online at www.uscgboating.org/fedreqs/default.html.
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Mount the fire extinguishers in readily accessible locations onboard so that you can get to them quickly in an emergency.
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