The Call
It is 0230. You are the Master of a 450 GT private motor yacht on passage from Palma to Antibes, seven crew, three guests. Your chief engineer calls the bridge: a smell of burning from the engine room, no alarm yet, no visible smoke. The watch officer looks at you. This is your call.
Before you press the fire alarm, you recognise what the next hour will reveal — whether your crew actually know what to do, or whether they only think they do. The quality of tonight's response was decided in port, during training.
The Regulatory Framework
For a yacht of this size, the applicable instrument is the Red Ensign Group Yacht Code (REG YC Part A, which superseded LY3), which draws its lineage from SOLAS Chapter III and IMO MSC circulars. SOLAS III/19 sets the underpinning drill requirements; REG YC transposes these into the yacht context.
Fire drill frequency:
- At least monthly, with every crew member participating.
- Within 24 hours of leaving port if more than 25% of the crew have been replaced since the last drill.
- Before sailing on entry into service, following major modification, or when new crew have joined to the extent that the threshold is met.
Drills must be recorded. For a yacht operating under the REG YC, records are kept in the vessel's log or official record as required by the code and the flag state.
What a Fire Drill Must Cover — the Master's Organising Responsibility
As Master you do not simply sound the alarm and watch. You design, direct, and critique the drill. A credible fire drill for the oral examiner means you can speak to all of the following:
Alarm and muster
- Alarm sounded, crew and guests muster at designated stations.
- Muster list roles assigned, posted, understood — every crew member knows their task before the alarm sounds.
Boundary and source identification
- Identifying the suspected fire location by section or compartment.
- Closing fire dampers, doors and ventilation to that section.
- Stopping fuel supply if applicable.
Equipment deployment
- Correct selection of extinguisher or fixed system for the fire class.
- Hose deployment: hydrant location, coupling, nozzle pattern — crew demonstrate, not just recite.
Fixed suppression systems
- Crew must understand when and how a fixed CO₂ or equivalent system is released, the personnel-clear procedure, and the consequence of premature or inadvertent activation.
Communication and command
- You, the Master, maintain overall command from a position where you receive all reports.
- Clear reporting structure: firefighting team, boundary team, accountability team (accounting for all persons).
Critique and record
- After every drill: debrief, identify deficiencies, record corrective actions.
- If a deficiency is equipment-related (e.g., a hose coupling that sticks), fix it before sailing — you carry that responsibility.
Directing vs. Delegating
The oral examiner tests whether you understand the Master's role as director, not participant. You account for all persons, maintain situational awareness, and make the escalation decision — call in a Mayday, activate the fixed system, prepare to abandon — while department heads execute. Conflating your role with the fire team leader's is a common examination weakness.