Rob@BSSOffice

Dogs cannot be relied on to wake. It is the second dog to die in a boat fire this month; see http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/11586230.BLAZE__Boat_pair_lose_pet_dog_and_belongings_in_fire/ People may also remember that Mr Mason's dog died with him from CO poisoning 11 months ago. Whilst in some circumstances a dog has alerted the occupants to fire or CO, dogs are also susceptible. All living beings on boats need protection from provided by working smoke and CO alarms - and from by having a clear action plan (all aboard should know it) and alternative means of escape. As a fellow dog (and cat) owner, I know it would also grieve me greatly to lose my four-legged friends through such circumstances. Rob edited to make slighty better sense - thanks D K.

Absolutely critical one that From my experience, don't tow a boat 60 miles to find that the pin on the prop drive from the o/b engine has sheared. Lots of engine revs, but no prop revs = v. disappointed children and OH. All for the want of cheap spare.

Yes, but the locker would have to be lined out with FRP/GRP. Or have a new bottom plate seam welded in place See check 7.2.1 on page 45 of the current examination checking procedures http://www.boatsafetyscheme.org/boat-examination/private-boats/ and click on the the icon of a person reading. HTH Regards Rob

This is another very sad incident and the second fatal boat fire this year. Over thirty people have died in boat fires in the past 20 years. I joined the Boat Safety Scheme in 2002, and aside from fatal gas/petrol explosions, I can only remember two fatal boat fires where a working smoke alarm is unlikely to have had any impact. So for the vast majority of fatal and serious fires, a working smoke alarm would have probably altered the outcome. You can read Akula's account of how a smoke alarm helped him LINKY, so I make a plea from the heart, especially to all liveabaords a. fit a certified smoke alarm b. ensure you can hear it in all quarters of the boat, if not fit more than one. c. test it routinely d. never take the batteries out, unless it to replace them e. check and replace any smoke alarms that have past their 'Replace By' date. It will take some time to find out the cause, speculation so early into the event is usually fruitless and sometimes counter-productive. In that area of the K&A the boating community is usually tight-knit and this will likely be a shocking event. Certainly my thoughts are with the people affected, including neighbouring boaters, friends, family and the blue light service personnel attending the scene. Wiltshire Fire & Rescue Service like many others offers a boat fire risk check service, giving out smoke and CO alarms. We recommend that boaters check with their local brigades and see if there is such a service in their locality. We have lots of general boat fire safety advice including what to look for in a alarm and where to position the alarm given the usual compromises that have to be made on a boat regarding specific placement instructions. We worked with the smoke alarm manufacturers to develop this boat specific advice. Got to www.boatsafetyscheme.org/fire Keep safe Rob edited to remove unwanted emicon - note: never use 'b' and bracket together

Best to get that checked out and sorted. Also have a carbon monoxide alarm as a back-up.

I see the advertised boat has gas aboard. If let for hire or reward, putting aside the need for the non-private boat BSS examination and certification, under UK gas legislation the craft needs a an annual 'landlord's gas certificate'. The Health & Safety Executive can and does prosecute landlords who do not follow the law and protect their tenants with very basic mitigations. Criminal records, very heavy fines and jail sentences are the possible consequences which puts having the wrong licence and wrong BSS certificate into the shade. For more idea about what steps the boat owner must take please share with him/her http://www.hse.gov.uk/gas/landlords/index.htm I would also strongly advise Jill Parker if she is considering taking up this boat as accommodation, to check all the paperwork to ensure there is a record of an annual gas safety check, that the right insurance is in place and that she has appropriate protection as a tenant too. She may also want to check for her own protection, the BSS certificate to see if the examiner applied the 2002 checking procedures before taking up occupation. Regards

Thanks for the pics - have a greenie

Thanks Brian Yep - on the web page link we have some pictures courtesy of Calor showing where the date can be found. There is also a description of how to know which cylinders have been inspected, tested and marked as safe. I'm not very good at posting pics on here, but those in the know are welcome to lift and post the pics here help CWDF members. Regards

To let you know that the BSS has issued a new release and placed information on our website supporting the Calor Gas Ltd and alerting boaters to Calor’s immediate product recall on all 6kg Calor Lite® cylinders manufactured between 2008 - 2011 inclusively. This follows concerns regarding the potential deterioration of the cylinder. The key details are on this link http://www.boatsafetyscheme.org/about-us/news-and-press-releases/press-releases/ please feel free to pass this on via your blogs, Facebook and other social media. See @BSS_BoatSafety tweets also Although Calor Lite® cylinders are mainly sold within the caravan and general markets, we are aware that such cylinders are on sale in the marine sector and that boaters buy the product. Calor and the BSS would welcome your help with publicising this immediate recall. Although we will be briefing BSS Examiners shortly in case boat owners raise the issue in conversation, there is no expectation that BSS Examiners will check Calor Lite® cylinders.

Are my safety reminders any use? [hostage to fortune if ever you read one] I shall have another message for the next, or next but one edition if Damian will include it.

You are doing the right thing if you have no other way of reassuring yourselves of the condition of the hull, engine, running gear, installations, fuel and power systems, appliances and fittings. With no re-assurance of the boats condition at the point of sale you may not be risking just your investment in the boat, but your lives too. Boating, especially on rivers, not only requires the boat to float, but also to have full control of forward and backward movement and to steer. It is not uncommon for boats to fetch up on weir barriers/booms, or to end crossways on bridges or similar structures. Only this week a surveyor acting on behalf found an otherwise hidden leak on a petrol tank, his surveyor knowledge was key reason for this discovery. If you have means or capacity to make assessments right across the boat from front to aft then a survey may bring you no extra useful information. If not you need to think about what you asking a marine surveyor to provide and how much detail. Please note a BSS certificate is not an alternative to a pre-purchase survey, it has a very limited scope compared to the information anyone should have before making a purchasing decision. Good luck with the boat hunting, like many on this forum have already suggested, you can be sure your right boat is out there.

Hi a very sad event indeed. Thank goodness no one was hurt. When did this happen? I can't see anything in the Watford Observer? If you have any further information you can PM or email me. Kind regards Rob

Wishing everyone the best who is participating today. Ben is greatly missed by the BSS Office team. A true gentleman and very entertaining character. I had many lovely conversations with Ben over the years and was very sorry when he announced his retirement on health reasons earlier in the year. Regards Rob

Much work has been done with the Australian suppliers and the UK representatives for this product by the BSS technical team. Purely from the BSS perspective, currently we cannot endorse its use as an equivalent item to a bubble tester or as an alternative method for conducting a tightness test concerning BSS checks 7.12.1 & 7.12.2 [2013] or 7.22 [2002,] nor can it be considered as a shut-off valve for compliance with BSS Requirements. Therefore a bubble tester or gas test point is required in the system.

The advice we publish says Fit alarms approved as meeting BS EN 50291-2; So look for the certification marks as assurance http://www.boatsafetyscheme.org/stay-safe/carbon-monoxide-%28co%29/co-alarms-save-lives/ A certified alarm should easily be found in the £15-£30 price range

What make/model regulator was it please?

Doh! It must be because I've just come back from my hols - Phone the EA national number is my advice as I cannot find the form on the new Gov/EA website Sorry for my mistake and any confusion caused. Rob

In addition to the other helpful advice already said on here, please also report it to the Canal & River Trust https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/contact-us/visitor-incidents, if such incidents are not reported, then they are invisible to the navigation authority. There's a simple form that can be sent in and you can back it up with a call to CRT customer services, or you can email CRT directly, the sections and questions on the form can help you compose an email. It will be helpful to have the details reported. Regards Rob

I'll avoid the polemicism and instead just be didactic with some advice on where to focus on investment. Installing a solid fuel stove cheaply may be possible if you are incredibly lucky and find all the right materials at the end of metaphorical passing rainbow(s) However more usually, the correct stove, heat resistant back board, flue-pipe and chimney are not cheap, but looking through our incident database, installing a solid fuel stove incorrectly because wider budget constraints are applied to the stove some people have paid for later through the loss of the boat or their lives. Solid fuel stoves and electrics are always at the top of the league table of causes of incidents. With stoves you have the risk of fire and of carbon monoxide poisoning so it is doubly important to avoid any element of getting-away-with-bodging. A less than perfect stove installation may also cost you time and money concerning fuel use and maintenance. It may burn more fuel and may need more flue cleaning and tar removal. And you mentioned gas work, so touching on another carpenter that had spent 24 years making an absolutely beautiful job of the woodwork and fittings on a dream boat, you should also be very cautious about any gas work and the cost of an incorrect installation. I recommend a Gas Safe registered fitter should be invested in. Hope this helps you with the careful consideration of where to spend meagre funds

Hi Gavin The BSS certificate will absolutely not ensure it is safe. This link explains why I make this perhaps counter-intuitive statement http://www.boatsafetyscheme.org/boat-examination/arranging-the-examination/about-the-bss-certificate/ It is probably a good idea to choose a self-build older than five years. Regards

Yep - Jonathan Leask is very good source of help. He will be able to tell you whether these vessels can go for straightforward completion and CE-Marking or whether a post-construction assessment is needed

...if you are talking logs. More advice here http://www.boatsafetyscheme.org/stay-safe/solid-fuel-stoves/

From our experience rust or other debris can affect the performance of LPG fridge burners and can impair the efficient burning of the gas and then lead to the production of carbon monoxide (CO) . We know of two boater fatalities where the LPG fridge is implicated in the cause of death from CO poisoning and other cases where the results were that people were only made ill. Poking around with a wire could worsen the problem so our advice is to get the appliance serviced by a competent gas engineer. Also we recommend the fitting of a CO alarm to provide added re-assurance concerning any appliance running at night There is more advice on CO here http://www.boatsafetyscheme.org/CO

The two biggest causes of accidental fires are electrical issues and solid fuel stoves. Two of the biggest causes of carbon monoxide poisoning are solid fuel stoves and generators. So if you do get any offers, you may want to assure yourself that both the electrics and the stove are being installed competently and to the latest standards. A bodge job could lead to the loss of the boat or possibly a life which in that case, the ultimate price would make telephone numbers look cheap.

Based on that information as presented / at face value, it should not have passed. FFDs are very good protection against accidental gas escape - either the flame going out or the gas being accidentally turned on (brushing past the hob controls with bulky clothes on is a favourite apparently) Check 8.7.1 on page 63 Page 44 Part 7 check 7.1.1 - Cylinders (and all high pressure components) are not required to be stowed in gas lockers, but they must be stowed where the fuel will fall and flow away from the boat. This means the cylinders cannot be stowed within one metre / 39 inches of any opening such as an engine hole hatch or doorway that will lead into the interior of the boat. They have to be secured and upright. (7.4.1) Regulators not mounted on the cylinder must be weather/debris protected (7.7.5). I would still protect the cylinder mounted regulator from water ingress. Matters can get problematic if the regulator stops functioning correctly.