Merchant Shipping Act, 1951 (Act No. 57 of 1951)SchedulesSecond ScheduleProtocol of 1978 Relating to the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea, 1974AnnexChapter II-2 : Construction—Fire Protection, Fire Detection and Fire ExtinctionPart A — GeneralRegulation 12 : Automatic sprinkler and fire alarm and fire detection systems |
(a)
| (i) | Any required automatic sprinkler and fire alarm and fire detection system shall be capable of immediate operation at all times and no action by the crew shall be necessary to set it in operation. It shall be of the wet pipe type but small exposed sections may be of the dry pipe type where in the opinion of the Administration this is a necessary precaution. Any parts of the system which may be subjected to freezing temperatures in service shall be suitably protected against freezing. It shall be kept charged at the necessary pressure and shall have provision for a continuous supply of water as required in this Regulation. |
| (ii) | Each section of sprinklers shall include means for giving a visual and audible alarm signal automatically at one or more indicating units whenever any sprinkler comes into operation. Such units shall give an indication of any fire and its location in any space served by the system and shall be centralized on the navigating bridge or in the main fire control station, which shall be so manned or equipped as to ensure that any alarm from the system is immediately received by a responsible member of the crew. Such alarm systems shall be constructed so as to indicate if any fault occurs in the system. |
(b)
| (i) | Sprinklers shall be grouped into separate sections, each of which shall contain not more than 200 sprinklers. Any section of sprinklers shall not serve more than two decks and shall not be situated in more than one main vertical zone, except that an Administration, if it is satisfied that the protection of the ship against fire will not thereby be reduced, may permit such a section of sprinklers to serve more than two decks or to be situated in more than one main vertical zone. |
| (ii) | Each section of sprinklers shall be capable of being isolated by one stop valve only. The stop valve in each section shall be readily accessible and its location shall be clearly and permanently indicated. Means shall be provided to prevent the operation of the stop valves by any unauthorized person. |
| (iii) | A gauge indicating the pressure in the system shall be provided at each section stop valve and at a central station. |
| (iv) | The sprinklers shall be resistant to corrosion by marine atmospheres. In accommodation and service spaces the sprinklers shall come into operation within the temperature range of 68°C (155°F) and 79°C (175°F), except that in locations such as drying rooms, where high ambient temperatures might be expected, the operating temperature may be increased by not more than 30°C (54°F) above the maximum deck head temperature. |
| (v) | A list or plan shall be displayed at each indicating unit showing the spaces covered and the location of the zone in respect of each section. Suitable instructions for testing and maintenance shall be available. |
| (c) | Sprinklers shall be placed in an overhead position and spaced in a suitable pattern to maintain an average application rate of not less than 5 litres per square metre (0,1 gallon per square foot) per minute over the nominal area covered by the sprinklers. Alternatively, the Administration may permit the use of sprinklers providing such other amount of water suitably distributed as has been shown to the satisfaction of the Administration to be not less effective. |
(d)
| (i) | A pressure tank having a volume equal to at least twice that of the charge of water specified in this subparagraph shall be provided. The tank shall contain a standing charge of fresh water, equivalent to the amount of water which would be discharged in one minute by the pump referred to in subparagraph (e) (ii) of this Regulation, and the arrangements shall provide for maintaining such air pressure in the tank to ensure that where the standing charge of fresh water in the tank has been used the pressure will be not less than the working pressure of the sprinkler, plus the pressure due to a head of water measured from the bottom of the tank to the highest sprinkler in the system. Suitable means of replenishing the air under pressure and of replenishing the fresh water charge in the tank shall be provided. A glass gauge shall be provided to indicate the correct level of the water in the tank. |
| (ii) | Means shall be provided to prevent the passage of sea water into the tank. |
(e)
| (i) | An independent power pump shall be provided solely for the purpose of continuing automatically the discharge of water from the sprinklers. The pump shall be brought into action automatically by the pressure drop in the system before the standing fresh water charge in the pressure tank is completely exhausted. |
| (ii) | The pump and the piping system shall be capable of maintaining the necessary pressure at the level of the highest sprinkler to ensure a continuous output of water sufficient for the simultaneous coverage of a minimum area of 280 square metres (3 000 square feet) at the application rate specified in paragraph (c) of this Regulation. |
| (iii) | The pump shall have fitted on the delivery side a test valve with a short open-ended discharge pipe. The effective area through the valve and pipe shall be adequate to permit the release of the required pump output while maintaining the pressure in the system specified in subparagraph (d) (i) of this Regulation. |
| (iv) | The sea inlet to the pump shall wherever possible be in the space containing the pump and shall be so arranged that when the ship is afloat it will not be necessary to shut off the supply of sea water to the pump for any purpose other than the inspection or repair of the pump. |
| (f) | The sprinkler pump and tank shall be situated in a position reasonably remote from any machinery space of Category A and shall not be situated in any space required to be protected by the sprinkler system. |
| (g) | There shall be not less than two sources of power supply for the sea water pump and automatic alarm and detection system. Where the sources of power for the pump are electrical, these shall be a main generator and an emergency source of power. One supply for the pump shall be taken from the main switchboard, and one from the emergency switchboard by separate feeders reserved solely for that purpose. The feeders shall be arranged so as to avoid galleys, machinery spaces and other enclosed spaces of high fire risk except in so far as it is necessary to reach the appropriate switchboards, and shall be run to an automatic changeover switch situated near the sprinkler pump. This switch shall permit the supply of power from the main switchboard so long as a supply is available therefrom and be so designed that upon failure of that supply it will automatically change over to the supply from the emergency switchboard. The switches on the main switchboard and the emergency switchboard shall be clearly labelled and normally kept closed. No other switch shall be permitted in the feeders concerned. One of the sources of power supply for the alarm and detection system shall be an emergency source. Where one of the sources of power for the pump is an internal combustion-type engine it shall, in addition to complying with the provisions of paragraph (f) of this Regulation, be so situated that a fire in any protected space will not affect the air supply to the machinery. |
| (h) | The sprinkler system shall have a connection from the ship’s fire main by way of a lockable screwdown non-return valve at the connection which will prevent a backflow from the sprinkler system to the fire main. |
(i)
| (i) | A test valve shall be provided for testing the automatic alarm for each section of sprinklers by a discharge of water equivalent to the operation of one sprinkler. The test valve for each section shall be situated near the stop valve for that section. |
| (ii) | Means shall be provided for testing the automatic operation of the pump, on reduction of pressure in the system. |
| (iii) | Switches shall be provided at one of the indicating positions referred to in subparagraph (a)(ii) of this Regulation which will enable the alarm and the indicators for each section of sprinklers to be tested. |
| (j) | Spare sprinkler heads shall be provided for each section of sprinklers to the satisfaction of the Administration. |