Features of Offshore Fire Extinguishers

Any Fire extinguisher, portable or wheeled, that will be located at or stored near the ocean, such as on oil rigs, must be a certified “Offshore” fire extinguisher. Offshore fire extinguishers are highly durable and built to repel the harsh environments offshore and along the coastline. Offshore fire extinguishers are available in both portable models and wheeled models. These offshore models have some additional key features that make it resistant to the sun, water, winds and salt that is common along ocean coastlines.

Due to the uniqueness of the offshore fire extinguishers, they are commonly found at boat/ship docks, offshore oil rigs, and on private and commercial boats of all sizes, including cruise ships.

Offshore fire extinguishers, both portable and wheeled, have different models within each category. You’ll need to select the model that fits your needs based on where the fire extinguisher will be placed, the potential fires it will be used to extinguish, and the size of area it will need to cover. They are:
1- ABC Dry Chemical: ABC Dry Chemical is perhaps the most common type of fire extinguisher on the market today. Effective in fighting class A, class B, and Class C fires with the use of Monoammonium as the extinguishing agent.
2- Purple K Dry Chemical: Effective in fighting Class B (Flammable Liquids) and Class C (Energized electrical equipment) fires. Dry Chemical Purple K is the agent used to extinguisher these fires. Note: Not effective on Class A fires.

3- Halotron: This specialized fire extinguisher is effective in fighting class A, B and C fires. However, it is most commonly used in extinguishing fires that involve sensitive electrical equipment as it doesn’t leave behind a corrosive residue. As such, there is not the need to clean up after being used, unlike the extinguishing agents used in other types of fire extinguishers.

To better help you determine what type of fire extinguisher may be best for your needs, please read our other article titled, “WHAT TYPE OF FIRE EXTINGUISHER DO I NEED? – DISTINGUISHING FEATURES, ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES”. The article details the different classes of fires (Class, A, B, C, and K), their particular fuel source, and the different types of fire extinguishers used to combat each type of fire.

Unique Features of Offshore Fire Extinguishers

• Built with rugged steel cylinders/frames, stainless steel operating levers, and plated brass valves making it strong and highly durable to withstand rough use.
• Each model is designed with three different special coatings to withstand the harsh and corrosive environment that is common offshore and along the coastlines. Both the agent cylinder and the wheeled model frames have a galvanized compound undercoat, and an enamel top coat, that has been baked on. Then, an additional protective clear coat is applied to prevent corrosion and fading due to sun and ocean water exposure. The combination of the three coats has all of Buckeye’s Offshore Fire Extinguishers to pass a 3,000 hour salt spray test.
• The nameplates on the fire extinguishers have a special Ultra Violet (UV) light resistant lamination applied to prevent sun damage.
• Portable hand-held fire extinguishers are fitted with a brass guard around the pressure gauge and vinyl ring on the cylinder bottom to prevent damage that would otherwise occur in other standard, non-offshore fire extinguishers.
• All offshore fire extinguishers, portable and wheeled, meet DOT (Department of Transportation) and Transport Canada requirements. This makes it transport and use it safer.
• All offshore fire extinguishers are UL and ULC Listed with the same high fire ratings as Buckeye’s standard models. To better understand the UL ratings, read our other article titled, “Fire Extinguisher UL Ratings: What it Means”. ULC are the standards and specifications for products that have to do with safety standards in Canada.
• All hand portable extinguishers are United States Coast Guard (USCG) approved with noted marine bracket indicating such approval.
• Laminated name plates come in three different languages: English, Spanish, and French.

Ergonomic and Functional Design

Despite the large size and heavy weight of the wheeled fire extinguishers, they are specially designed to be portable and functional, so that a single person is able to navigate and use the extinguish to combat a fire by him or herself. Some aspects of the wheeled fire extinguisher include:

Tires: The tires come in either large steel wheels (with or without rubber gripping) and pneumatic wheels that can move across rougher terrain.

Balance: Wheeled fire extinguishers can weigh up to 1,000 pounds. Regardless of the weight, engineers have designed the wheels and center of gravity to allow a single person the ability to move a wheeled fire extinguisher down hallways, across gravel or around corners. This function is extremely important as a fire may occur 100 feet away from where the fire extinguisher is located.

Hose: Unlike the portable fire extinguishers, wheeled fire extinguishers have a built-in hose that can reach up to 50 feet (depending on the model, some only reach 25 feet) in length allowing a farther reach to extinguish fires in areas that the unit itself is unable to go.

Discharge Range: With a powerful discharge force, the extinguisher agent can be propelled at a range of 25 to 40 feet, depending on the size and model.

Tank Size: Wheeled fire extinguishers come is a variety of sizes that are each designed to cover a different room area. The smallest wheeled fire extinguisher has a tank capacity of only 50 pounds, while the larger wheeled fire extinguisher has a tank capacity of 350 pounds.

Conclusion:

Offshore wheeled fire extinguishers are extremely important to the fire protection of docks, rigs or on ships because of their ability to withstand the rugged environment that offshore and coastline areas present.

Check out our line of Offshore Fire Extinguishers. We have the best prices and are able to fulfil any order regardless of order quantity.

For Portable Offshore Fire Extinguishers click HERE.

For Wheeled Offshore Fire Extinguishers click HERE.