If you hear a CO2 activated alarm warning you to evacuate the engine room, how much time do you have to evacuate before the CO2 gas is released into the engine room?
• Fixed CO₂ fire-extinguishing systems in machinery spaces • Required time delay and alarms before CO₂ discharge • Safety rationale for giving crew enough time to evacuate and shut doors/hatches
• Think about why a time delay is required before CO₂ floods an engine room and how long it reasonably takes people to evacuate safely. • Compare the options: which times are too short to reliably escape a large machinery space, and which seem longer than typical regulatory requirements? • Recall standard USCG and SOLAS practices for CO₂ release delays: roughly what order of magnitude (seconds vs. a full minute or more) is commonly specified?
• Verify what minimum pre-discharge alarm time delay is specified for CO₂ systems protecting machinery spaces under SOLAS/USCG rules. • Confirm that the alarm must sound continuously for the full delay period before gas release. • Make sure the chosen time is one continuous delay period, not a combination of alarm plus extra local action.
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