Who must carry a fire extinguisher?

If your vessel is fitted with an inboard engine (personal water craft are exempt) or with cooking, heating or cooling systems that use flames, you must carry an approved fire extinguisher.

You make your own choice of extinguisher (provided it is made to Australian Standards) from foam, dry chemical, carbon dioxide or vaporising  liquid.

Inspections

Fire extinguishers should be inspected at least every six months. All extinguishers other than carbon dioxide have a pressure gauge indicating their state of charge, and a security seal on the trigger. They should be recharged if the seal is broken or the gauge is not in the green sector of the scale. Tap the gauge lightly to make sure that the needle is not stuck.

Mud wasps and other creatures have often been known to clog up the nozzle of fire extinguishers. Check and clean out if necessary.

The dry chemical extinguisher should be taken off its bracket and shaken. This is to prevent the powder inside from compacting. A carbon dioxide extinguisher needs to be checked by weight. If the loss is more than 10 per cent of the net weight of the contents, it needs to be recharged.

Serviceable condition

Fire extinguishers must be maintained in a serviceable condition, check that the marker in the gauge is in the green position. If the marker is in the red it is not in a good operational condition.

Different types

Most trailer boats carry a dry chemical extinguisher, which is a good ‘all-rounder’ and also the most popular with larger vessels. Some boats with enclosed engine rooms also have a built-in smothering gas or water mist system.

Although a water extinguisher is not acceptable as your sole extinguisher, your bailer will do a fine job in its stead for extinguishing burning solids.

Dry chemical (red container with white band)

This is the most common type, in cars as well as boats. Suitable for liquid-fuel fires like petrol (Class B fires), and it does not conduct electricity (Class E). The smaller sizes usually contain powder which is not very effective against solid fuel fires (Class A). Larger dry chemical extinguishers are suitable for A, B and E. This information is printed on the container.

Carbon Dioxide (red container with black band)

This gas extinguisher is suitable for Classes A and E fires. It is not as effective as the dry chemical extinguisher, so is normally used for specialised purposes, such as engine compartment fires where the gas can be fed in from outside. Larger boats with complex electronics panels and switchboards may use carbon dioxide on these to minimise damage from the extinguisher medium. Caution: carbon dioxide extinguishes by denying oxygen to the fire. In a confined space it can kill people by suffocation.

Foam (blue container, or red with blue band)

This is a large extinguisher producing foam to spread a blanket over a fire. It specialises in Class B but, because it contains water, is also suitable for Class A. For the same reason, water, it conducts electricity. Generally these extinguishers are seen only on larger boats.

Additional extinguishers

Although the regulations call for only one extinguisher to be carried, your boat might be of a size or complexity to suggest carrying more than one, perhaps of different types. You may also decide to buy larger than the minimum size.

BCF extinguishers

As of January 1996 the yellow BCF fire extinguishers have been made illegal. Any person that still has a BCF extinguisher must not carry it onboard their boat and should hand it into their local Fire Brigade Station as soon as possible to reduce any risks.