Fire Suppression System Designed and Approved by Volpe Center Successfully Extinguishes Fire on U.S. Coast Guard Patrol Boat
At 1215 hours on May 20, the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) 110’ Patrol Boat Cuttyhunk was underway at full speed patrolling off the coast of Alaska. Without warning, the Cuttyhunk’s port engine experienced an engine piston failure. A hole ruptured on the engine side, spilling oil onto the starboard engine and starting a fire.
The Cuttyhunk crew shut down the engine plant, sounded the fire alarm, and began their trained attack to extinguish the fire. The Volpe egineered FM-200 fire extinguishing system was activated from the pilot house. The fire suppression system immediately extinguished the engine room fire and the resulting damage was minimal due to the crew’s quick response in activating the system.
The system was engineered for the 110’ patrol boat fleet by the Volpe Center’s Physical Infrastructure Systems Center of Innovation. The Cuttyhunk’s system was commissioned — including inspection, functional testing, and training — by Volpe engineers and Manufacturer Certified at the USCG yard during the Cuttyhunk’s major overhaul in November 2007.
The fire extinguishing system is a suitable replacement for halon gas, which is now a banned ozone-depleting chemical. FM-200 systems extinguish fires in an enclosed space by cooling the flame and interrupting the combustion process. It is ideal for fires typical in a vessel’s engine room. The fire protection extinguishing agent was designed to be released remotely from the pilot house, locally in the FM-200 cylinder storage room, or at the individual cylinders. A back-up system provides for a second shot of extinguishing agent into the protected space.
This is the first known incident of fire at sea involving the FM-200 Volpe Center system, used by both the USCG and the U.S. Army. The system performed exactly as designed, protecting the lives of the crew and preventing further damage. The Volpe Center has over 15 years experience designing, installing, and commissioning fire protection system onboard approximately 60 U.S. Army Watercraft and USCG vessels, including eight 110’ Cutters.
