VIKING embraces EMSA fire suit guidance but urges clarity on regulations

Welcome recommendations from the European Maritime Safety Agency on firefighting suit performance for electric fires should not be confused with SOLAS compliance requirements, says VIKING Life-Saving Equipment

The leading supplier of life-saving appliances and personal protective equipment for the marine and offshore industries embraces the latest EMSA recommendations on electric fires, but stresses that its entire range of firefighting suits remains fully compliant under SOLAS requirements.

Fire suit certification requirements in Europe were recently upgraded from EN469 2005 to EN469 2020 standards. All VIKING SOLAS fire suits fulfil EN469:2020 standards.

However, new EMSA ‘Guidance on the Carriage of Alternative Fuel Vehicles in Ro-Ro Spaces’ highlights the risk of AFV (alternatively fueled vehicle) fires as a “serious safety concern” due to the enormous growth in the electric vehicle market. EMSA notes that in the 2.5-year period to the end of 2021, AFVs increased their share of EU-registered new vehicles from 9% to 38%.

VIKING reports the EMSA guidance has created a misunderstanding which has only become apparent after Port State Control inspectors challenged fire suit compliance on board several ships but based their assessments on the recommendations rather than the rules.

“Overall, EMSA is recommending that firefighting suits meet EN 469:2020 ‘level 2’ standards on thermal protection, water penetration and water vapor resistance,” says Jens Peter Kruse, PPE, VIKING. “However, confusion has crept in on the ‘Y2’ recommendation covering additional moisture barrier protection against electric fires, where high quantities of water can be needed. As a continuous investor in the R&D, materials and product testing that ensure VIKING fire suits always outperform published standards, we wholeheartedly welcome EMSA’s recommendations and advocate moisture barriers when they are appropriate. However, there is a difference between a recommendation and a mandatory requirement.”

VIKING supplies firefighting suits with moisture barriers complying with the Water Penetration Resistance classification (Y2) and suits without moisture barriers (Y1). Both are EN469:2020-compliant, as well as being certified according to both the Marine Equipment Directive (MED) and PPE regulations (CE), stresses Kruse.
“Fire suits with either Y1 or Y2 notation are fully compliant according to the EN469 2020. EMSA recommends fire suits with a ‘level 2’ moisture barrier (Y2), but it remains up to customers to evaluate inclusion against breathability and weight factors, then decide on the suits they need.”

EMSA’s recommendations should be considered as “progressive” and “a timely reminder that fire protection merits continuous re-evaluation, given risk assessment responsibilities”, says Kruse.

VIKING offers three ranges of SOLAS- and EN469-compliant VIKING YouSafe™ fire suits, as well as an alternative for NFPA/US Coastguard requirements. The company is unique among its marine and offshore peers, in that it is also one of the leading fire suit suppliers serving the land-based professional firefighting sector.
Source: Viking