Marina Dock Age, July/August 2007

A case study on why marinas and fire departments must be partners
by Gene Spinazola, P.E.

A recent marina fire was the result of a boat owner making repairs on his boat. For this article, it’s not important how the fire started, but rather what went wrong during the fire.

The setting
This fire occurred on a Sunday afternoon in an upland boat winter storage area. The arrangement of boats in the storage area was well-planned by the marina and conformed to The National Fire Protection Association Standard 303, Section 7.2.1.8, Fire Department Access.

There were 21 boats in this section of the yard storage area, ranging in size from 22-feet to 38-feet. The boats were lifted for storage using a straddle hoist, and the spacing between them averaged approximately six feet. At the time of the fire, only a skeleton crew of yard employees was working. Upon seeing smoke, the crew immediately called 911 to report the fire.

The boat owner tried unsuccessfully to extinguish the fire using a small 2 1/2 pound ABC dry chemical fire extinguisher that was in the galley on his boat. He, too, then called 911 and reported that his boat was on fire.

The “First In” fire apparatus was an Engine/Pumper (No. 1), which arrived “On Scene” four minutes and 22 seconds from the time of the alarm. Engine No. 1 stopped about 75 feet from the fire and reported that there were now two boats on fire. The “Second In” apparatus was also an Engine/Pumper (No. 2), which stopped behind Engine No. 1. The responding fire fire department had a full-time crew, which was supported by “On Call” volunteers.

Each Engine/Pumper carried 800 gallons of water in its onboard tanks. The Deputy Fire Chief arrived “On Scene” right after the two engines, and ordered in several tanker trucks to shuttle water from a hydrant one-half mile away. The turn around time for the tankers was about 12 minutes. At this point, there were now four boats on fire.

Remember, these boats were held upright with “Jack Stands.” The gunnels on even the smaller boats were six or more feet off the ground, which made it difficult to direct fire fighting water into the boats and onto the fire. So, Engine No. 2 was moved back and replaced with Ladder Truck No. 7. Most people at the scene thought that once No. 7 had elevated its ladder and aimed its 1,000 gallons per minute Monitor (water cannon) down on the fire, it would be out in no time.   Continue »

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