NTSB CONCEPTION HEARING - THIS TUESDAY @ 10AM

[MaxBottomtime]

I've found myself curious about something.

How many of you would bother to find your shoes if alerted to fire aboard the boat?

I've dived from the Truth Aquatics boats many times. I usually slept with my shoes on. I never sleep much on a rocking boat, so I would get up in the middle of the night and sit in the salon. The one time I tried sleeping without shoes was horrible. It's pitch black in the bunkroom, and I had to feel around for my shoes while trying not to wake others.

 

[chillyinCanada]

I've dived from the Truth Aquatics boats many times. I usually slept with my shoes on. I never sleep much on a rocking boat, so I would get up in the middle of the night and sit in the salon. The one time I tried sleeping without shoes was horrible. It's pitch black in the bunkroom, and I had to feel around for my shoes while trying not to wake others.

Thanks Max. That is what I had hoped was the case. I'd expressed that some time ago but since the report came out, I'd been left with some doubt.

I much preferred to believe that they died not knowing.

 

[MaxBottomtime]

Unfortunately, we will probably never know what happened. All the speculation about battery charging is just that, speculation. As someone who has owned boats for several years, I've found that a salt water environment will corrode wiring behind walls. The cause could even be a combination of the old wiring not keeping up with the number of chargers onboard. When the boat was built we didn't have divers with digital cameras, smartphones, laptops, rechargeable dive lights, etc.

 

[Open Ocean Diver]

In your ear?! Is your hearing OK?

Initially no I lost some hearing but over time it did come back. We were developing many years ago a progressive 21 card table for the gaming industry and the new controller board we were testing, I was kneeling down my ear right in front of the circuitboard when she blew. 25 years ago all we did was waited for smoke to clear in the lab no clean up, I went to the doctor.
.

 

[Couch]

I'm not aware of all the long-term problems of salt-water boats (problems with corrosion, etc.) but I am aware that smoke, heat and CO alarms, operated by 9-volt alkaline batteries, that are very loud, are also very cheap. I wouldn't be surprised to be told that the Conception could have had a dozen of these spotted around the boat for $200 or so. Of course, they'd have to replace the batteries every six months, but the alarms themselves will chirp to tell when that's needed. I really don't understand why these are not on *every* boat with enclosed cabins of *any* size. When you're talking about a boat like the Conception, probably worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, with people sleeping aboard, the need seems blindingly obvious.

 

[HalcyonDaze]

I'm not aware of all the long-term problems of salt-water boats (problems with corrosion, etc.) but I am aware that smoke, heat and CO alarms, operated by 9-volt alkaline batteries, that are very loud, are also very cheap. I wouldn't be surprised to be told that the Conception could have had a dozen of these spotted around the boat for $200 or so. Of course, they'd have to replace the batteries every six months, but the alarms themselves will chirp to tell when that's needed. I really don't understand why these are not on *every* boat with enclosed cabins of *any* size. When you're talking about a boat like the Conception, probably worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, with people sleeping aboard, the need seems blindingly obvious.

Conception had smoke alarms in the passenger quarters and a heat detector in the galley - which were inspected and approved by the USCG. Either by the time they went off it was too late, they never went off, or they didn't alert the crew topside. Likewise, the alarms on RSA I weren't what sounded the alert - some of the passengers smelled the smoke.

The better solution seems to be what was described on the Spree - an interconnected alarm system that would sound across the whole vessel.

 

[Rooster59]

In much of the US, interconnected smoke alarms are required in new residential construction. I would imagine there is pressure from insurance companies and fire departments to make interconnected alarms required in residences everywhere. I would think insurance companies that work with dive boats could require it as well, and not wait for coast guard regs to appear or not. I have them in my house, if a basement fire started smoldering in the furnace room, all the alarms in the upstairs bedrooms go off as well.

 

[Wookie]

In much of the US, interconnected smoke alarms are required in new residential construction. I would imagine there is pressure from insurance companies and fire departments to make interconnected alarms required in residences everywhere. I would think insurance companies that work with dive boats could require it as well, and not wait for coast guard regs to appear or not. I have them in my house, if a basement fire started smoldering in the furnace room, all the alarms in the upstairs bedrooms go off as well.

I was always frustrated that, as much as I went above and beyond Coast Guard regulations, my insurance company was neither interested nor were they offering incentives.

Way too small a market I expect.

 

[KevinNM]

In much of the US, interconnected smoke alarms are required in new residential construction. I would imagine there is pressure from insurance companies and fire departments to make interconnected alarms required in residences everywhere. I would think insurance companies that work with dive boats could require it as well, and not wait for coast guard regs to appear or not. I have them in my house, if a basement fire started smoldering in the furnace room, all the alarms in the upstairs bedrooms go off as well.

On a boat you'd also want the sort of map typical in commercial situations, where it tells the crew in the wheelhouse what sensor where tripped so they can send someone directly to that spot.

 

[Couch]

I mentioned in my post (a few above this) the possibility of using battery-powered alarms. The problem I see with interconnected alarms is a power failure -- for example, if the fire is caused by a wiring problem, the same problem could cause the power to fail. Multiple battery-operated alarms wouldn't have that problem, as long as they were part of the routine maintenance of the boat. Interconnected alarms might work well as long as the boat was fully powered all the time. But, I'm not an electrician, and everything I'm saying here is speculation. I would underline the fact that these battery alarms are **cheap,** so why not?

I'd add that for all the technical talk here (which I think is helpful) I'm happy to see that everyone considers this disaster to be absolutely appalling.