Free smoke detectors

BOATERS on the Wiltshire section of the Kennet & Avon Canal are being offered free smoke detectors by Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service in an attempt to cut down the number of deaths caused by narrowboat fires.

Boat Safety Advisor Rob Buckland will be travelling along the county's section of the waterway between 31st May 31 and 5th June, offering free safety advice and free smoke detectors to boaters, Alan Tilbury reveals.

Devastating consequences

When boat fires  occur, they can have devastating consequences, especially when moored in remote locations with difficult access, which may result in firefighters taking longer to arrive at an incident and allowing a fire to totally destroy a boat and everything on board.

Of the enterprise, Rob explained:

"As well as taking into account fire safety on the boat, we urge boaters to ensure that they know their location at all times so that, in the event of any emergency, we can get there as soon as possible."

Advice

Advice on general boat fire safety from the fire service includes:

• Fitting a suitable smoke detector;
• Making a fire action plan;
• Taking extreme care when refuelling with petrol or changing gas cylinders;
• Avoiding using portable gas equipment on board, where possible, and storing all gas canisters in special gas lockers or open places where any leaks will flow overboard;
• Checking items such as battery terminals and fuse box connections routinely for damaged strands or signs of overheating;
• Taking care when doing repairs, and keeping interiors well ventilated when using adhesives, paints and spirit-based products;
• Always keeping your eye on a solid fuel stove when it's lit and trying to avoid leaving the boat with the stove burning.

Incidents

Incidents on the waterways are unfortunately quite common, with the fire service giving examples including:

Tidying up duvets causes boat fire: A duvet was stuffed into a wardrobe, and so door didn't close properly. A light in the wardrobe stayed on and could not be seen due to the duvet stuffed up against it. The light overheated, setting fire to the duvet. The owners didn't notice the smoke initially as they didn't have a smoke alarm, but when they did smell smoke, it took a while to find where the smell was coming from. Eventually the skipper opened the wardrobe to find the duvet alight.

DIY explosions: The owner of a boat was renewing the headlining of the vessel and used a strong glue to stick it in place. Enough glue was used whereby there was sufficient vapour given off to form a flammable mix, which exploded once it came into contact with a source of ignition—in this case, the pilot light of the fridge.

In a separate incident, a man was varnishing wood on his vessel during one of the colder months of the year. As the varnish was not drying quickly enough, he plugged in an electric heater to try to warm up the cabin space to get the varnish to 'go off' more quickly. He left the boat with the heater running to have lunch out of sight of the boat, and was told by a passer-by that there was a boat on fire at the marina.

It pays to take care.