4.8 Evacuation time
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Statutory Documents - IMO Publications and Documents - International Codes - HSC Code - International Code of Safety for High Speed Craft, 1994 – Resolution MSC.36(63) - Annex - International Code of Safety for High Speed Craft, 1994 - Chapter 4 - Accommodation and Escape Measures - 4.8 Evacuation time

4.8 Evacuation time

  4.8.1 The provisions for evacuation should be designed such that the craft can be evacuated under controlled conditions in a time of one third of the structural fire protection time (SFP) provided in 7.4.2 for major fire hazard areas after subtracting a period of 7 min for initial detection and extinguishing action.

where:
SFP = structural fire protection time (min)

  4.8.2 An evacuation procedure, including a critical path analysis, should be developed for the information of the Administration in connection with the approval of fire insulation plans and for assisting the owners and builders in planning the evacuation demonstration required in 4.8.3.

The evacuation procedures should include:

  • .1 the emergency announcement made by the master;

  • .2 contact with base port;

  • .3 the donning of lifejackets;

  • .4 manning of survival craft and emergency stations;

  • .5 the shutting down of machinery and oil fuel supply lines;

  • .6 the order to evacuate;

  • .7 the deployment of survival craft and marine escape systems and rescue boats;

  • .8 the bowsing in of survival craft;

  • .9 the supervision of passengers;

  • .10 the orderly evacuation of passengers under supervision;

  • .11 crew checking that all passengers have left the craft;

  • .12 the evacuation of crew;

  • .13 releasing the survival craft from the craft; and

  • .14 the marshalling of survival craft by the rescue boat where provided.

  4.8.3 Achievement of the required evacuation time (as ascertained in accordance with 4.8.1) should be verified by a practical demonstration conducted under controlled conditions in the presence of the Administration, and should be fully documented and verified for passenger craft by the Administration.

  4.8.4 Evacuation demonstrations should be carried out with due concern for the problems of mass movement or panic acceleration likely to arise in an emergency situation when rapid evacuation is necessary. The evacuation demonstrations should be dry shod with the survival craft initially in their stowed positions and be conducted as follows:

  • .1 The evacuation time on a category A craft should be the time elapsed from the moment the first abandon craft announcement is given, with any passengers distributed in a normal voyage configuration, until the last person has embarked in a survival craft, and should include the time for passengers and crew to don lifejackets.

  • .2 The evacuation time on a category B craft and cargo craft should be the time elapsed from the moment the order to abandon the craft is given, until the last person has embarked in a survival craft. Passengers and crew may be wearing lifejackets and prepared for evacuation, and they may be distributed among muster stations.

  • .3 For all craft the evacuation time should include the time necessary to launch, inflate and secure the survival craft alongside ready for embarkation.

  4.8.5 The evacuation time should be verified by an evacuation demonstration which should be performed using the survival craft and exits on one side, for which the critical path analysis indicates the greatest evacuation time, with the passengers and crew allocated to them.

  4.8.6 On craft where a half trial is impracticable, the Administration may consider a partial evacuation trial using a route which the critical path analysis shows to be the most critical.

  4.8.7 The demonstration should be carried out in controlled conditions in the following manner in compliance with the evacuation plan.

  • .1 The demonstration should commence with the craft afloat in harbour, in reasonably calm conditions, with all machinery and equipment operating in the normal seagoing condition.

  • .2 All exits and doors inside the craft should be in the same position as they are under normal seagoing condition.

  • .3 Safety belts, if required, should be fastened.

  • .4 The evacuation routes for all passengers and crew should be such that no person need enter the water during the evacuation.

  4.8.8 For passenger craft, a representative composition of persons with normal health, height and weight should be used in the demonstration, and should consist of different sexes and ages so far as it is practicable and reasonable.

  4.8.9 The persons, other than the crew selected for the demonstration, should not have been specially drilled for such a demonstration.

  4.8.10 An emergency evacuation demonstration should be carried out for all new designs of high speed craft and for other craft where evacuation arrangements differ substantially from those previously tested.

  4.8.11 The specific evacuation procedure followed during the craft's initial demonstration on which certification is based should be included in the craft operating manual together with the other evacuation procedures contained in 4.8.2. During the demonstration video recordings should be made both inside and outside the craft which should form an integral part of the training manual required by 18.2.

Parent topic: Chapter 4 - Accommodation and Escape Measures
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