Emergency Fire Pump

The emergency fire pump is an independently driven fire pump located outside the main machinery space, required by SOLAS Chapter II-2/10 to ensure that fire-fighting water remains available on the fire main even if the main engine room is lost to fire or flooding. On most cargo ships it is a self-priming diesel-driven centrifugal pump located in a dedicated pump room or in the steering gear compartment, supplied from an independent fuel tank and able to deliver at the required pressure to the most remote fire hydrant on board. SOLAS requires that the emergency fire pump and its power source be operable from a position outside the machinery space and be capable of producing the required flow rate at the specified pressure without external power from the main switchboard. Engineers test the emergency fire pump monthly, recording start times, delivery pressure, and fuel quantity, and verify that the isolating valve between the emergency pump and the fire main allows the pump to supply the main without back-feeding into a flooded engine room. Port state control officers treat a defective emergency fire pump as a serious deficiency and may prohibit sailing until it is rectified.