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Maritime & Shipping vocabulary · Safety & Emergencies

Fire drill

Meaning in maritime & shipping, with examples

nounCommon term

In maritime & shipping, fire drill means: A practice exercise in which the crew respond to a simulated fire, using the alarm, fire teams, hoses and breathing apparatus as they would in a real emergency.

In Turkish: yangın tatbikatı

How it is used

On cargo ships, SOLAS requires every crew member to take part in a fire drill and an abandon ship drill every month. Drills are recorded in the logbook, and port state control inspectors may ask the crew to carry one out.

Example sentences

  1. Today's fire drill scenario is a fire in the galley.

  2. The inspector asked us to hold a fire drill and was not satisfied with the result.

Common collocations

  • hold a fire drill
  • fire drill scenario
  • fire team
  • breathing apparatus
  • muster stationA fixed place on a ship where crew and passengers gather when the alarm sounds, so that everyone can be counted and given instructions.
  • abandon shipTo leave a ship in an emergency because staying on board has become more dangerous than going into the survival craft. The order to abandon ship is given only by the master.
  • SOLASThe International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea: the main IMO treaty that sets minimum safety standards for the construction, equipment and operation of merchant ships.
  • port state controlThe inspection of foreign ships in a country's ports to check that they meet international rules on safety, pollution prevention, crew certificates and working conditions.

More terms: Safety & Emergencies

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