TM 55-1930-209-14&P-17
CHAPTER 4 FIREFIGHTING EQUIPMENT
Section I. Description and data
4-1 Description. Barge firefighting equipment consists of a Halon 1301 system, 2 CO2 hose reel units, a smoke detector
system, 17 portable CO2 fire extinguishers, 5 dry chemical fire extinguishers, 5 self-contained breathing apparatuses, and
a portable, engine-driven firefighting pump. Location of this equipment onboard is shown in Figure 4-1 and as installed,
on drawings listed in Appendix A. In addition, there is a 10-pound, portable, dry chemical fire extinguisher on the
workboat.
4-1.1 Halon 1301 system. This consists of two 312-pound capacity steel cylinders filled with Halon 1301 with weighing
bar and frame (Figure 4-2), a pressure operated switch to activate sirens, safety port, discharge indicator, 20-second
discharge relay, control head, stop valve, piping and nozzles. The cylinders are super pressurized under nitrogen gas to
360 psi (at 70F). One is a spare and not hooked into active system. System also includes two remote pull boxes to
manually activate the system and two pressure operated sirens. Both the active cylinder and manifold assembly and
spare cylinder (Figure 4-3) are located on port bulkhead aft of switchboard. One manual operating pull is on starboard
bulkhead amidships; the other is adjacent to ladder from ROWPU space into port void 4.
4-1.2 CO2 hose/reel units. Each of these two units (Figure 4-4) consists of one hose reel and rack assembly holding 75
feet of 1/2-inch hose, a horn/valve assembly, control head, cylinder valve, and two 100-pound CO2 cylinders. These are
pressurized to 850 psi (at 70F). Unlike the Halon system where one cylinder is a spare, both CO2 cylinders are active
and connected through a common manifold to the discharge hose and nozzle. One unit is on the ROWPU space forward
bulkhead near the door to the dayroom, and the other is in the center of ROWPU space aft of the diesel high pressure
pumps. Reels are mounted about 7 feet above the deck with the cylinders immediately below. Each two cylinder unit is
activated by operating a control on top of the left cylinder.
4-1.3 Marine smoke detector system. This system has a smoke detector cabinet with display panel (Figure 4-5), on the
ROWPU space forward bulkhead starboard side. It also has a suction blower cabinet on the deckhouse top, and two
alarm bells: one above the detector cabinet and another in the dayroom. There are air sampling accumulators in each
void, and associated pipes and tubing connect these elements. When operated, suction blower assembly on deckhouse
top pulls air through air accumulators in the voids, to the smoke detector cabinet and then to suction blower assembly and
into the atmosphere. As air passes through the cabinet, it passes through a lightbeam. If smoke is in the air, it scatters
this lightbeam triggering a photo-electric cell which activates the system. Alarms sound in ROWPU space and dayroom.
Lights on front of smoke detector cabinet indicate the space(s) in which smoke is being produced. In addition, there is an
olfactory (sniffer) valve near the smoke detector cabinet. This provides a crewmember with a sample of the smoke and
allows his/her human senses to analyze the smoke. This system operates on 115 Vac from the void lighting panel. It
does NOT activate any firefighting equipment.
4-1.4 Portable fire extinguishers
4-1.4.1 CO2 fire extinguishers. The 17 standard 15-pound CO2 extinguishers have a black dispensing horn, carrying
handle and activating trigger. Because of their potential for generating toxic fumes, they are recommended for use in
open, ventilated areas. They are placed primarily in the ROWPU space, workshop, and dayroom. They may be located
in some of the voids. They are usually mounted on a bulkhead about 5 feet above the deck.
4-1.4.2 Dry chemical fire extinguishers. There are 5 standard, 10 pound, dry chemical fire extinguishers on the barge.
Because they do not generate toxic fumes, they are recommended for use in close, confined spaces, such as the voids.
They are normally located in the voids and mounted on a bulkhead about 5 feet above the deck. In addition, there is one
10 pound, dry chemical extinguisher in the workboat cabin.
4-1
