Question 218Safety & Environmental - 1st Asst/Chief

70% to pass

Your vessel has two fire pumps and a low pressure CO2 system, which protect the cargo, holds and the engine room. A fire is reported on the #3 car deck aft hold. The emergency teams are on air. The first team reports from the forward end of the #3 car deck that there is heavy black smoke coming from the aft end of the hold and there is very limited visibility. They also report they cannot see any flames from their location. The second emergency team reports paint burning and blistering on the hull in the area of #3 car deck aft, as seen from the weather deck. How would you combat this fire?

APull all crew members out of the cargo holds and start boundary cooling from the weather deck with fire hoses. Simultaneously start the procedure to release CO2 into the zone that is on fire.

BRecommend to the Captain to abandon ship.

CBoundary cool from the weather deck with fire hoses and use cargo fans to exhaust the smoke.

DHave the fire teams advance into the aft end of #3 hold with fire hoses to locate and extinguish the fire.

AI Explanation

The correct answer is A. The reasoning for this is that with the reported heavy black smoke and limited visibility, advancing fire teams into the hold would be extremely dangerous and inadvisable. Instead, the proper course of action is to pull all crew members out of the hold, start boundary cooling from the weather deck using fire hoses to prevent the fire from spreading, and simultaneously initiate the procedure to release the low pressure CO2 system into the affected zone to extinguish the fire. The other options are incorrect because B would be an extreme measure without attempting to control the fire first, C would not address the actual fire itself, and D would put firefighters at unnecessary risk given the conditions reported.

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