二氧化碳是船舶机舱内最常用的灭火剂之一，具有极好的灭火功能，且价格也相对便宜，但由于主要通过减少空气中的可用氧气来灭火，可能会对人体带来巨大危险。除考虑对人体的安全隐患外，Gard同样也关心所用灭火系统的灭火效果。就二氧化碳灭火系统而言，发现火灾后似乎都需经过很长一段时间才能释放二氧化碳来灭火。不明确的疏散和召集程序以及船员对二氧化碳致命效应的担忧都会造成这种不必要的迟延，甚至，如Gard最近所经历的案子那样，不予灭火。小火若不予扑灭，便可能演变为大火，并最终对船舶及船上设备造成严重损害。在某些案件中，大量烟雾的积累也会造成人员伤亡。
详细信息请参阅附件。
Fixed CO2 fire-extinguishing systems – consequences of delayed release
One of the most commonly used fire-extinguishing agents in ships’ engine rooms is carbon dioxide (CO2). CO2 gas has excellent fire-extinguishing capabilities and is relatively inexpensive, but may pose a serious risk to personnel as it primarily extinguishes fires by reducing the available oxygen in the atmosphere. In addition to concerns about the safety hazard to personnel, Gard also has concerns as to how the final outcome of a fire can be influenced by the type of extinguishing system used. With CO2 systems, the period between detecting a fire and releasing the gas often seems quite long. Unclear evacuation and mustering procedures combined with the crew’s worries about the lethal effects of CO2 can cause unnecessary delays in release or as experienced in one of Gard’s recent cases, no release at all. Minor fires have been allowed to escalate and cause severe and costly damage to ships and their equipment, in some cases also injury and loss of life due to extensive smoke development.
See attached file: Fixed CO2 fire-extinguishing systems – consequences of delayed release .pdf
