Coastal and water-front areas provide recreation such as boating, personal watercraft use, and private and party boat fishing. Marinas also provide housing, industrial storage, marine repair, and fueling facilities. The services and types of business conducted involve hazards that are often hidden from view or overlooked during inspection visits. Some of the hazards I have uncovered during fire safety inspections are discussed below.
FLAMMABLE LIQUID STORAGE-GASOLINE
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This combination of gasoline and propane containers was discovered stored inside the office area, storage area, and workshop of a marine-use building. (Photos by author.)
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Frequently, gasoline is stored in nonmetallic containers and can be found haphazardly stored in repair shops, in loft areas, under workbenches, behind stairways, and in boiler rooms. Marine operators who rent personal watercraft often refuel them by gravity feed with 29-gallon nonmetallic containers. I have seen as many as four 29-gallon containers of gasoline improperly stored inside a marine-use building. You may also wonder how these containers filled with gasoline arrived at the marina.
 These 29 gallon non-mettallic gasoline tanks, previously stored inside a building, were used to fuel personal watercraft and were transported by trailer to the marina. |
National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 30, Flammable and Combustible Liquids Codes, 1996, requires that co0ntainers of Class 1 liquids stored outside of a separate inside storage area not exceed a capacity of one gallon but does allow a safety can of two gallons. NFPA 303, Fire Protection Standard for Marinas and Boatyards, 1995, states that no Class 1 flammable liquids shall be stored in an indoor boat storage area.
FLAMMABLE LIQUID STORAGE-PAINTS AND PAINT THINNERS
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Flammable paints and paint thinners are often applied and used in motor repair shops and boat storage buildings without concern for separation or proper ventilation. Paints and thinners can also be found carelessly stored in combination with other flammables.
COMPRESSED GASES
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The proper storage of acetylene, oxygen, and compressed gas cylinders requires that they be secured and separated from flammable and combustible liquids. I have found compressed gas cylinders stored with flammable and combustible liquids in boiler rooms, bathrooms, and unmarked combustible sheds. These cylinders are often well past certification date and still contain gas. Compressed natural gas (CNG), used for cooking and heating, is also stored on boats.
LIQUID PETROLEUM GAS-PROPANE
In addition to its use as a heating and cooking fuel, propane is frequently used in marinas to heat shrink wrap, a plastic type of covering used to cover boats during winter storage, and as a motor fuel for forklifts. I have discovered 20-, 33-, 40-, and 100-pound propane containers in basements, in loft areas, under stairs, and in office space. Many of the containers had small leaks. When responding to marina incidents or during inspection visits, look for forklifts and boats covered with shrink wrap. You may be surprised by the quantity of propane you may find recklessly stored.
In Nassau County, propane is not permitted to be stored in buildings. It must be stored 25 feet from any type of building in a noncombustible, top- and bottom-vented structure and secured from tampering.
ELECTRICAL HAZARDS
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During a marina inspection I made in the summer of 1999, I observed an electrical contractor installing marine electrical cable. He took the time to show me many of the electrical hazards he had found and provided me with an overview of proper wiring for marine use. I observed Romex cable, commonly used in residential wiring, submerged in salt water. Open junction boxes with exposed wiring and cheap extension cords were supplying shore power to boats. The contractor, while checking for the source of an electrical short, discovered an electrical potential of 80 volts in the salt water surrounding several boats. This marina was eventually rewired to NFPA 303 and the National Electrical CodeTM. I have discovered faulty electrical wiring in many of the marine facilities I have inspected and therefore recommend that electrical power to boat docks be turned off during firefighting operations.
HOUSEBOATS AND HOUSE BARGES
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In addition to the same construction and storage hazards found in homes built on land, houseboats and house barges present additional hazards. One-hundred-pound containers of propane, used for heating and cooking, are frequently improperly installed in nonvented wooden cabinets built into the boat or barge along with flammable and combustible liquids. Combustible liquids used to supply heating systems are often stored next to the structure’s only available exit. It is not uncommon to find these floating homes docked side by side with limited access, especially during winter months. One marina owner informed me that he had removed all propane-fueled heating systems from his floating rental properties and installed oil burners. The oil burner tanks, he was happy to inform me, were installed on the very top of his house barges.
BOAT STORAGE
Marina owners with limited space or a desire to generate more revenue will store boats in vertical racks. These racks are often 20 or more feet in height and provide seasonal as well as long-term storage. Boats are removed from these racks when needed and returned after use. I have not seen any in-rack sprinkler systems as may be found in other high-rack storage, and little fire protection is provided. Built-in boat tanks always contain fuel; in the winter months, the tanks are filled to near capacity. During winter storage, portable tanks may be removed along with the boat batteries and are often improperly stored.
MARINE FUEL STATIONS
The majority of firefighters I have spoken with are aware of the hazards of dispensing gasoline and diesel fuel at marine fuel stations: improper ventilation during fueling, fuel spills, electrical hazards, and so on. A hazard that may not be as widely recognized is the procedure some marine fuel station operators use to fuel boats. The fuel nozzle is placed on the deck of the boat dock and is not returned to the fuel dispenser after fueling. Marine fuel station operators will argue that, with up to 200 feet of hose, it would take too much time to return the nozzle to the dispenser after each boat is fueled and that they have been following this procedure for years. After activating the fuel pump, the attendant must proceed to the nozzle to dispense the fuel or allow the boat owner to control the nozzle. This practice leaves too much to chance. A faulty nozzle may cause a fuel spill before the fuel attendant gets to the nozzle. If the boat owner is dispensing the fuel, he may not be aware of the location of the pump’s shutoff control, and the fuel attendant may be off helping another customer. With floating fuel docks, the fuel nozzle will be lower than the liquid line in the fuel storage tank. A malfunction could cause the fuel to flow by siphon action. It is best to visit marine fuel stations during the times when they are the busiest. Note the locations of the fuel shutoff valves and the fuel pump’s electrical switches, and add this information to your preplans.
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Inspect marine facilities during the summer and winter months to identify changing conditions and prepare your preplans. Ask the facility manger to identify the locations of all flammable and combustible liquid storage. Observe fueling operations, and locate the fuel shutoff valves and electrical power switches. Because of congested boat storage, it may be difficult to access boatyards during an emergency, especially during winter months. Anticipate long and difficult hoseline stretches, and identify marinas that contain living quarters and houseboats.
RAYMOND E. KUHNER is a fire inspector with the Office of the Fire Marshal, Nassau County, New York. He is a New York State code enforcement officer, a peace officer, a hazardous materials technician, and a member and past chief of the Seaford (NY) Volunteer Fire Department.
