Vessel Fire Safety Regulations Amendments

Summary#

This is a proposed change called the Regulations Amending the Vessel Fire Safety Regulations published in the Canada Gazette on February 12, 2022. It would clarify which international ship fire-safety rules apply to which vessels, and add clear equipment standards for firefighter outfits and breathing apparatuses. Comments were invited for 60 days after publication.

What it does#

• Adds the SOLAS applicability rule (known as SOLAS II-2/1.2) into the Vessel Fire Safety Regulations (VFSR) so ship owners know which SOLAS Chapter II-2 requirements apply based on a vessel’s construction date.
• Specifies accepted standards for firefighter clothing. Vessels would have the option to meet either:
  • Directive 2014/90/EU, or
  • NFPA 1971 (Standard on Protective Ensembles for Structural Fire Fighting and Proximity Fire Fighting).
• Specifies accepted standards for self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA). Vessels would have the option to meet any one of:
  • Directive 2014/90/EU,
  • NFPA 1981 (Standard on Open-Circuit SCBA for Emergency Services), or
  • NIOSH requirements (U.S. regulatory standard in Title 42, CFR part 84).
• Keeps the choice of standards so operators can pick equipment that is available or cheaper, and aligns Canada’s rules with common North American and European practice.

Who's affected#

• Vessel owners and operators covered by the VFSR — mainly larger passenger and cargo vessels (not pleasure craft or most fishing vessels).
• Transport Canada, which enforces the rules through inspections.
• Manufacturers and suppliers of marine firefighting clothing and breathing apparatuses.
• Numbers mentioned in the proposal:
  • About 500 vessels are estimated to be required to carry firefighter outfits and breathing apparatuses.
  • Since the VFSR began, 25 Canadian vessels have been built that benefit from clearer wording.
  • 9 vessels underwent unnecessary retrofits before Transport Canada clarified the issue in 2018.

Why it matters#

• Clears up confusion that led some ship operators to retrofit vessels unnecessarily after the 2017 rules. That caused extra cost and work for at least 9 vessels before the problem was clarified.
• Brings Canadian regulation into line with the equipment standards most manufacturers already use, so most operators likely won’t need to change anything.
• Improves safety by explicitly requiring recognized standards for firefighter outfits and breathing apparatuses.
• A small number of operators who have older or substandard equipment might need to replace items. The proposal gives example costs (market estimates):
  • $3,500 for one firefighter outfit (jacket, pants, hood, helmet, boots and gloves),
  • $4,500 for one breathing apparatus with bottle,
  • $8,000 for a full firefighting combination including SCBA.
• This is a proposed amendment, not final law. Stakeholders were invited to comment during the public consultation period.