Hi,
I am curious where people have installed fire extinguishers in their E34-2s.
Thanks
Phil
While the real E-34 owners are warming up their keyboards, I might have a comment.
I have know both firefighters and surveyors over the years, and based on their observation that a fire on board is far more to be feared than flooding, have tried to put some thought into this.
1- the minimum extinguisher requirement for a given size of boat is barely 'minimum'. More and bigger is better.
2- location matters, relative to where you might be, inside, and there the likely ignitions point might be.
Having an interior similar to the ER-34/2, our locations may be relevant. Hopefully.
Where might a fire start?
Typically...Engine compartment, and galley range area. (While it is possible for an electrical fire to start 'bout anywhere there are wires and devices, I defer to the logic of Occam for this.)
Next, how to you try to quickly extinguish it before it grows, if possible, and how do you escape? :0
IIRC, we are required to have a couple of the smaller 2.5# bottles, filled with dry powder.
Upon acquiring our boat we equipped it with two 5# bottles and one other 2.5#.
Given that being trapped by fire is a threat in the ends of the boat, one 5# is in the aft cabin, right behind the bulkhead at the rear of the galley. Other 5# is forward inside the forepeak. The third smaller bottle is mounted low down, on the inside bulkhead of the head compartment.
Our risks are relatively low, with a diesel fueled engine, and a shutoff to the fuel line at the tank, under a settee in the main cabin. And, our galley range is an Origo non-pressure range. (No pressure and no flareups)
Other similar boats do sometimes have one more extinguisher under a cockpit seat somewhere. Likely a good idea, even tho I do not have this.
On the general subject, several years ago, our YC arranged for a half day education and practice fire fighting class with the nearby PDX fire station with their adjacent training facility. They are very happy to have boaters have this practical knowledge, even though most of our group is sailors so we are not driving power cruisers around with 200 gallons of gasoline aboard. (May I say: Yikes.)
Anyhow, everyone in our group of about 20, put our a real (propane) fire in a large flat container with impressive flames leaping up! Mostly all couples attended, and it's helpful for each and every person to pull the pin, point it at the base of the flames and move the powder stream back and forth and extinguish the flames.
While this class cannot replicate the drama of the real world, it beats the heck on relying on something you read once in a pamphlet.
Hope this helps to move the conversation along.
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