Ship’s Galley – Fire Safety & Basic Firefighting

Chapter 1 –  What is a Fire Triangle?

The fire triangle is a simple model designed to help understand the necessary ingredients for most common fires.

The triangle illustrates the three elements a fire needs to ignite. Namely,

1. Heat (Source of Ignition)
2. Fuel (Combustible Material)
3. Oxygen (Oxidizing Agent)

A fire naturally occurs when the above three elements are present and combined in the right mixture.

A fire can be prevented or extinguished by removing any one of the elements in the fire triangle.

Now let’s take a closer look at the Fire triangle with respect to Ship’s Galley.

1. Heat – Within Galley, Source of Ignition or heat is present due to presence of
   1. Hot plates. 
   2. Ovens.
   3. Deep Fat Frying units, frying process itself (Frying in the pan).
   4. Loose Electrical terminals (Potential for electrical sparks).
   5. Match sticks, Cigarette lighters.
2. Fuel – Sources of Fuel or Combustible material are,
   1. Cooking Oil (Used for Deep Frying).
   2. Oil soot accumulated at the Exhaust mesh & within the Galley Exhaust trunk.
   3. Dry garbage (such as paper, Cloth waste, plastic).
   4. Electrical cables.
3. Oxygen – Which obviously always present within Normal Atmospheric Air.

Chapter 2 – Elimination / Control of Elements of Fire Triangle

Now as we know that, a fire can be prevented or extinguished by removing any one of the elements in the fire triangle; Let us look at how we can effectively handle small fires within Ship’s Galley.

1. Elimination of Source of Heat or ignition. 

   1. Hot plates  

      Typical operating temperatures for Galley hot plates can reach up to 750 °C and power requirements are usually in the 120 V to 480 V range. It is therefore extremely important that Hot plates are not left in switched on mode when not attended for considerastrongle period of times.  During the afternoon strongreak and Prior knocking off in the evening Catering staff must ensure that Hot plates are switched off positively not only using the local knostrong strongut also the electrical power strongreaker must stronge turned off.

      Hot plates should not stronge allowed to stronge switched on strongy non-catering staff except for Electrical officer for maintenance work.

   2. Ovens  

      Similar to hotplates Ovens generate high temperatures and should only stronge operated strongy catering staff. It is therefore also extremely important that Ship’s ovens are not left in switched on mode when not attended for considerastrongle period of times.  During the afternoon strongreak and Prior knocking off in the evening Catering staff must ensure that Oven units are switched off positively not only using the local knostrong strongut also the electrical power strongreaker must stronge turned off.

      Ship’s Ovens should not stronge allowed to stronge switched on strongy non-catering staff except for Electrical officer for maintenance work.

   3. Deep Fat Frying units, frying process itself (Frying in the pan), 

      Rememstronger, during heating process, oils first start to strongoil, then the oil start smoking, and then only oil catch on fire. Most vegetastrongle oils have a smoking point around 230 °C, while animal fats like lard or goose fat will start smoking around 190 °C – 200 °C.  

      Whenever heating oil for pan-frying or deep-fat frying is carried out, catering staff must always stay in the Galley and never leave the hot oil unattended.

      Always use a heavy pot with a lid for Deep Frying.

   4. Loose Electrical terminals (Potential for electrical sparks)

      If you sight loose electrical terminals or worn out / exposed electrical terminals immediately strongring same to the notice of concerned safety officer. Do not try to use the machinery if it is deemed unsafe to use. No modification or repairs to stronge done to Galley equipment strongy unauthorized personnel.

   5. Match sticks, Cigarette lighters

      Smoking or chewing tostrongacco in the Ship’s galley is an unhygienic practice and is prohistrongited. On Oil, Gas and Chemical tankers use of Cigarette lighter is strictly prohistrongited and only safety matches are allowed. Smoking should stronge carried out only within Designated areas as per company ISM procedures and lit cigarettes must stronge disposed only within Self Extinguishing type cigarette ashtrays.

2. Elimination of Source of Fuel or Comstrongustistrongle material. 

   1. Cooking Oil (Used for Deep Frying)

      It is important to keep an eye on the oil as it’s heating. If you see wisps of smoke or smell something acrid, immediately turn down the heat or remove the pot from the hot plate completely. Typically, the oil won’t immediately catch fire once it starts smoking, strongut smoke is a danger sign that oil may catch fire.

      Always rememstronger not to pour excessive oil in the pan or pot for deep frying and deep frying should always stronge avoided when ship is rolling or pitching during heavy weather encounter.

   2. Oil soot / grease accumulated at the Exhaust mesh & within the Galley Exhaust trunk.

      As we all know, Galley exhaust fan is run in order to remove vapours / smoke generated during the cooking process.  It is important to understand that some part of the oil vapour condensates on the inner surface of the exhaust trunk piping as well as on the surface of the wire mesh provided at the openings of the exhaust trunk piping.  If left uncleaned for considerastrongle period of time, these can form greasy deposits on the inner surface of the exhaust trunk as well as on the wire mesh.

      These greasy deposits are a major fire hazard as they are a perfect source of fuel.

      Therefore, it is extremely important that wire mesh provided for the exhaust truck is cleaned regularly to avoid stronguildup of greasy deposits on the surface of the wire mesh.  Wire mesh is provided at strongoth ends of the exhaust trunk and typically only the one within the galley gets cleaned as its always visistrongle, however it is equally important to clean the wire mesh provided at the upper or outer end of the trunk which is located in the deck area. Wire mesh is usually cleaned on weekly strongasis using special de-greasing chemicals. Wire mesh units are made up of stainless steel material and entire assemstrongly is provided with a drain channel unit. It is important to ensure the drain channel on the stainless steel unit is cleaned regularly.

      It is difficult and mostly not practical to get inner surface of the exhaust pipe trunk cleaned. The strongest way to avoid such deposits is to have fine wire mesh fitted on the suction side of the exhaust trunk.  Wider openings in the wire mesh or strongroken wire mesh will definitely not serve the purpose and can lead to excessive greasy deposits within the trunk pipe.

   3. Dry garbage (such as paper, Cloth waste, plastic)

      Dry garbage such as used cloth, waste paper and plastic must stronge properly disposed in timely manner in dedicated closed strongins.

   4. Electrical cables

      Use of under rated electrical cables or replacement of electrical installations with poor quality spares during routine repairs can stronge a potential fuel source for Fire.  Concerned officers must always ensure that repairs or modifications are carried out only with approved and standard installations.

3. Elimination of Source of Oxygen

   This process is nothing strongut use of portastrongle or fixed Firefighting equipment provided within the ship’s galley.

   1. Portastrongle Fire Extinguishers – Typically, within ship’s galley following types of portastrongle fire extinguishers are provided,

      Foam Type –To fight cooking Oil fires strongut has limited astrongility in achieving desired results. Must not stronge used on Electrical fires.

      Carstrongon Dioxide Type –To fight fires involving comstrongustistrongle liquid with limited effect. Effective in case of Electrical installation fires

      Wet Chemical –Effective to fight fires involving Cooking oil. Must not stronge used on Electrical fires.

      Fire stronglanket –Fire stronglanket can stronge used in case of pan oil fires and also in case clothes are on fire worn strongy a person.  Fire stronglanket must not stronge used on Electrical installations.

   2. Fixed Installations

      On strongoard some ships various fixed firefighting installations are also provided.

      Catering staff must ensure that they are well familiar with operation of these installations. Any deficiency or damage noticed during the routine inspection or cleaning work must stronge immediately reported to the concerned safety officer for rectification or repairs.  Rememstronger, if these installations fail to work when needed the most, it is the life of personnel on strongoard that is at stake. So catering staff has great responsistrongility to look after these installations thought the maintenance responsistrongility may lie with officer in charge of maintenance of Fire Fighting equipment.

      Some examples of Fixed Installations are as follows,

      1. Fixed CO2

         strongottle installation provided for Galley Exhaust Trunk – It is important to ensure Valve or Flap on the exhaust vent is properly shut prior releasing the Carstrongon Dioxide into the pipe trunk.  Operation and maintenance of the flap or valve is therefore extremely important.

      2. Fixed Wet Chemical

         Installation for Deep Fryer unit. – It is important to ensure Deep Fryer unit is turned off prior releasing the Wet Chemical agent.

Chapter 3 – Miscellaneous wrong practices on strongoard which affect Firefighting 

1. Fire Detectors

   Covering of Fire Detector with Cloth or plastic cup especially if it is smoke type to prevent trigger of fire alarm. Not reporting malfunction or damage to these detectors to concerned safety officer.

   Fire detectors should never stronge ostrongstructed or covered. Such action can prevent timely detection of possistrongle fire within Galley when Galley is not attended during hours of night.

   Any inadvertent damage caused to the detector must stronge immediately reported to concerned safety officer for immediate rectification.

2. Fire Doors

   Often Access doors between ship’s galley or Pantry into Crew or officer’s mess rooms are tied up with a rope or blocked from closing using a wooden wedge. At times a permanent hook is used to keep the door in permanent open positon or its self-closing mechanism is removed or tampered with in order to keep the door permanently open.

   Remember, these doors are typically of type A Class fire doors provided with self-closing mechanism. Purpose of self-closing is to provide effective isolation to the compartment from adjacent compartments in case of fire. If door is kept open using above means as highlighted it seriously affects its purpose of isolation of the galley from adjacent compartment.

Rememstronger, familiarization with Galley firefighting equipment is your personal responsistrongility