Objectives & Functional Requirements on Fire Safety as Per SOLAS

Fire Safety Objective:

The Objective of Fire safety is to 

• Prevent the occurrence of Fire and Explosion

• Reduce the Risk of Life caused by Fire

• Reduce the Risk of Damage caused by Fire to the Ship, its Cargo and the Environment

• Contain, Control and Suppress Fire and Explosion in the compartment of origin

• Provide adequate and Readily accessible Means of Escape for passengers and crew

Functional Requirements on Fire Safety:

        To achieve the objective of Fire safety the following functional requirements are incorporated in the regulation such as:

• Division of the ship into main vertical and horizontal zones by thermal and structural boundaries.

• Separation of accommodation spaces from the remainder of the ship by thermal and structural boundaries.

• Restricted use of combustible materials.

• Detection of any Fire in the zone of origin.

• Containment and extinction of any Fire in the space of origin. 

• Protection of Means of escape and access for fire fighting.

• The ready availability of fire-extinguishing appliances.

• Minimization of the possibility of ignition of flammable cargo vapours.

Reference: IMO Publications & Documents - International Conventions - SOLAS Ch-II-2