Every year people are injured and some lives are lost by explosions or fires on boats - many boats are destroyed or severely damaged. No one would disregard the presence of high explosives in a boat, yet many people are indifferent to the presence of petrol. A rough guide to the destructive force dormant in petrol is that the evaporation of a teacup of petrol will generate enough vapour to create an explosion equal to that made by the detonation of ten standard sticks of dynamite. Prevention is better than cure, therefore boat users should be aware of the following common fire hazards and elementary precautions.
Fires caused by smoking in bed are particularly dangerous.
A sleeping person has no sense of smell and can easily be suffocated by smoke before becoming aware of the fire. All rubbish should be disposed of ashore but where this is not possible it should be stowed away in a safe position, oily rags, cotton waste and paint rags being placed in an airtight metal container. L.P. gas cylinders should always be located on the open deck or on the cabin top, be shielded from the sun, and be in a position where the escaping gas is unlikely too reach the boat interior. Under no circumstances should empty cylinders be stowed in the engine compartment as an empty cylinder still contains some gas that can leak. The system should be regularly tested for leaks and all crew and passengers should be aware of the characteristic smell of the gas.