Fire-fighting appliances are among the most closely inspected systems on any SOLAS vessel, and an out-of-date extinguisher or an untested fixed system is a frequent cause of port-state control detentions. For vessels calling at Colombo and Sri Lanka’s other ports on the Indian Ocean, keeping FFA equipment serviced by an approved station is essential to trading without delay.
The equipment covered
Fire-fighting appliance servicing spans a vessel’s fixed and portable firefighting systems: fixed CO₂, foam and water-mist systems, sprinkler and deluge systems, fixed fire detection and alarm systems, portable and wheeled extinguishers, fire hoses, nozzles and the fire main, firefighter’s outfits, and self-contained breathing apparatus. ARCSHIP delivers fire-fighting appliance servicing across all of these to SOLAS, the FSS Code and maker requirements.
Typical servicing intervals
- Monthly and quarterly: crew inspection of extinguishers, hoses, fixed-system pressure gauges and detection panels.
- Annual: thorough examination and function testing of fixed systems, detection and alarms; inspection and maintenance of portable and wheeled extinguishers; testing of firefighter’s outfits and breathing apparatus.
- Every 2 years / 5 years / 10 years: hydrostatic pressure testing of extinguisher bodies and BA and CO₂ cylinders at maker- and rule-defined intervals; internal examination of fixed-system cylinders.
- As required: refilling and re-charging after use, and replacement of time-expired components.
Exact intervals depend on equipment type, class and flag rules, so each vessel’s FFA schedule should be confirmed against its certificates and maker manuals.
A fixed CO₂ system that cannot be shown to have been correctly weighed and tested is treated as a serious deficiency at inspection.
Combining FFA with LSA in one attendance
Because fire-fighting and life-saving appliance servicing follow a similar regulatory rhythm, completing both in a single Sri Lankan port call reduces attendances, paperwork and off-hire. A typical combined attendance at Colombo, Galle, Hambantota or Trincomalee covers function testing of fixed systems, servicing and re-charging of extinguishers, hydrotesting of cylinders, and issue of consolidated test certificates.
Staying port-state ready
The reliable way to avoid an FFA deficiency is to map every extinguisher, cylinder and fixed-system due-date against the vessel’s trading pattern and to schedule the professional attendance into a planned call. That turns firefighting-equipment servicing into a routine, documented event rather than a detention risk.