DAMAGE CONTROL
SYSTEMS AND EQUIPMENT
Learning Objectives
• Know the procedures, objectives and
priorities in combating the progressive
deterioration from fire and underwater
hull damage
• Know the four classes of fire and the fire
fighting agents, equipment, and
procedures to extinguish each class
• Know the use of equipment, materieals,
and procedures for countering progressive
flooding and structural deterioration
Learning Objectives (cont.)
• Know the principles of operation of the
fire main system
• Know the procedures for donning and
proper operation of an Oxygen Breathing
Apparatus (OBA), Emergency Egress
Breathing Devise (EEBD), Supplementary
Emergency Escape Devise (SEED), and
Standard Navy Gas Mask MCU-2P
Elements of fire tetrahedron
• Fuel
• Heat
• Oxygen
• Free radicals (Chemical reaction)
Fuel
• When a fire runs out of fuel it will stop.
• Fuel can be removed naturally, as where
the fire has consumed all the burnable
fuel, or manually, by mechanically or
chemically removing the fuel from the
fire.
• Examples: Paper, wood, oils/gas, wires,
textiles/cloth, metal
Heat
• Temperature needed to exceed flash
point: sparks, short circuit, matches,
friction
• Without sufficient heat, a fire cannot
begin, and it cannot continue.
• Heat can be removed by dousing some
types of fire with water; the water turns
to steam, taking the heat with it.
DOES NOT WORK WITH ALL FIRES!
Oxygen
• Allows combustion to take place
• Oxygen may be removed from a fire by
smothering it with an aqueous foam, or
some inert gas (e.g., carbon dioxide,
Halon), dry chemicals, or enclosing it
where the fire will quickly use up all of
the available oxygen.
Chemical Reaction
• Free Radicals
• Chemistry of Combustion
− other specialized chemicals must be used
to break the chain reaction of metallic
combustion and stop the fire.
− Lithium, Magnesium
• What happens if you add water to these
types of fires?
Flare of Magnesium Powder w/ water
Classes of Fire
• Class A
− Wood, paper, people
− Leaves an ash
− Fairly simple to fight and contain - by
simply removing the heat or oxygen (or in
some cases fuel), the fire triangle
collapses and the fire dies out.
• Class B
− Combustible fuels, hydrocarbons, solvents
− More difficult to combat – water may
spread fire
− Chemical retardant, carbon dioxide fire
extinguisher, protein based foam
• Class C
− Electrical
− Difficulties in combating
• Water – electrical shock
− Protein foam to remove oxygen
− Turn off power supply (  Class A)
• Class D
− Metal fires
• such as sodium, titanium, magnesium,
potassium, uranium, lithium
− Difficult to combat - Water and other
common firefighting materials can excite
metal fires and make them worse
Firemain System
• Receives water pumped from ocean
• Types of systems:
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Single main – small ships
Horizontal Loop
Vertical Loop
Composite versions
• Primary purpose – FIRE FIGHTING
• Other uses: flushing, auxiliary machinery
cooling, water washdown
Single Main
• Extends longitudinally near the centerline
of ship
• Pumps discharge into risers then into main
• Main supplies fireplugs & other services
• Usually found on FF’s and DDG’s
Horizontal Loop
• 2 Single Mains on DC Deck
• Minimizes damage
• Cross-connected to form series of
horizontal loops
Vertical Loop
• 2 Single Mains
• Installed in oblique plane
• Mains are cross-connected to form series
of loops
Composite
• 2 or 3 service mains on DC deck
• By-pass main installed at lower level near
C/L
• Cross-connects installed alternately
between service mains & by-pass main
Fire Station
•Fireplug
•Quick cleaning strainer
•All-purpose nozzle
•Vari-nozzle
•Hoses
Extinguishing Agents
• Water
− Firemain system
− Sprinkler system
• AFFF (Aqueous film-forming foam)
− 94% water / 6% foam mix
− Excludes oxygen from the surface of the
fuel
− Extremely corrosive
Extinguishing Agents
• Potassium bicarbonate (PKP)
− Breaks combustion chain
− Does not have cooling capability
− May cause violent reaction in combustible
metals
− Non-toxic, however can cause
breathing difficulty
Extinguishing Agents
• Halon 1301 system
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−
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Colorless, odorless gas when release
Density ~ 5X that of air
Decomposed on contact w/ heat
Used in flooding systems
At concentrations needed to extinguish
fire, dizziness and reduced dexterity
What type of extinguishing agent
would you use?
• Class A Fire
− Water
− Any
• Class B Fire
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−
−
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AFFF
PKP
Twin agent (AFFF/PKP)
Halon 1301
Extinguishing agent for this fire?
• Class C Fire
− CO2
− Fog
− PKP
• Class D Fire
− Solid stream, fog or jettison
Flooding
• Progressive Flooding
− Partial flooding that can continue through
small holes, cracks, loose rivets, etc
− If continues, ship will lose buoyancy and
list
• Flooding Boundaries
− Bulkheads and decks restricting partially
flooded areas
− If become completely flooded, boundaries
may not hold and must be INSPECTED
Dewatering Priorities
• Effective allocation of resources
− What if damage is too severe?
• Stability
− Loss of stability…
• Flooding effect diagram
Causes of Flooding
• Damage inflicted from external sources
− Mines, torpedoes, bombs, running aground
etc.
• Fire fighting efforts
• Acute or chronic leakage
• Broken firemain or other piping system
Flood Control
• P-250 pump
− gas operated portable pump
• Electric submersible pump
− lighter than P-250
− submersible
− can not be used for combustible liquids
• Eductors
− Increases rate of removal
− Contaminated water
Repair of Structural Damage
• Shoring
− Used to support ruptured decks, strengthen
weakened bulkheads and decks, etc.
• Types of shoring materials
− Shore-portable beam
− Wedge-triangular block
− Strong back
− Patches
• Better to shore more than necessary than to risk
structural failure
Supplemental Air
• Oxygen Breathing Apparatus (OBA)
− Self contained O2 source
− 1930s technology
− Phase-out began in 2001
Supplemental Air
• Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus
(SCBA)
− Provides air for breathing while firefighter
is in a fire or other hazardous environment
− Better range of motion
Supplemental Air
• Emergency Egress Breathing Device
(EEBD)
− Donning – 10 sec
− Provides Oxygen 10-15 minutes
− Operating Temp: 10°F – 149°F
Supplemental Air
• Supplementary Emergency Escape Device
(SEED)
− Worn on belt
− 1.5 – 3 min of Oxygen
− HEED (Helicopter)
Gas Masks / CBR Attacks
• Standard Navy Gas Mask MCU-2P
− Replace canister after blood agent attack
− Canister good for 30 days following all
other chemical threat agents
− Training canister labeled w/ white stripe
(open for 60 days)
Safety during DC operations
• Electric shock hazard if water is used on
class C fire
• Exploding ordnance or fuels during fires
• Splattering hot metal with class D fire
• Being overcome by CO2
• Extremely cold temperatures with CO2
extinguishers
• Heat Stress conditions
• Smoke/Toxic fume inhalation
QUESTIONS?
• Wednesday, Nov 29
− Questions for panel
• Friday, Dec 1
− Review
• Monday, Dec 4
− Questions/Review
• Wednesday, Dec 6
− Final Exam
− Bring Books!!! MUST TURN IN BOOKS