Al Safwan Marine
Al Safwan Marine
Get a quote Call +971 55 659 9860

Fixed fire systemsLesson 6 of 8

Fire detection and alarm systems

You will know which spaces need which detectors, how the panel, loops and power supplies must work, and how to test every detector and call point within the IMO intervals.

16 minutes · For signed-up learners, free · Rules checked 20 October 2026

Start here

Every fixed system in this course depends on someone knowing there is a fire. In a manned engine room or a busy galley, people may see it. In a cabin at 3 a.m., an unattended engine room, a container hold or a cable trunk, the fire detection system is the only witness. The sooner it raises the alarm, the smaller the fire the crew has to fight.

Detection systems also fail in quiet ways: a detector covered with a plastic bag during painting, a loop isolated after a false alarm and never restored, a smoke detector in a galley that keeps going off. On the cruise ship Edinburgh Castle in 1998, the galley’s detection loop had been isolated after a fault, and the fire was found by a patrol. This lesson covers where detectors go, how the system must behave, and how to test it.

Continue this lesson free

The rest of this lesson, the interactive Which detection fits the space? and the quiz are open to signed-up learners. It's free, takes a minute, and opens every lesson in all 14 courses.

We use your details to save your progress and to understand who uses the Academy. Already signed up? Get a sign-in link.

In this lesson

  • Try it: Which detection fits the space?
  • In plain words
  • In detail
  • What the rules say
  • Flag and class notes
  • Key numbers
  • What inspectors find
  • Questions people ask
  • Quiz: 6 questions

Sources

  1. 1 IMO Resolution MSC.99(73), revised SOLAS chapter II-2 (adopted 5 December 2000, in force 1 July 2002), regulation II-2/7 (Detection and alarm), paragraphs 3, 4, 5 and 7, as amended. https://wwwcdn.imo.org/localresources/en/KnowledgeCentre/IndexofIMOResolutions/MSCResolutions/MSC.99(73).pdf
  2. 2 International Code for Fire Safety Systems (FSS Code), chapter 9 as replaced by resolution MSC.311(88) (ships constructed on or after 1 July 2012) and amended by resolutions MSC.339(91) and MSC.555(108), paragraphs 1.1, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4 and 2.5; with IACS UI SC35 and SC271 and MSC.1/Circ.1433 and 1528. https://wwwcdn.imo.org/localresources/en/KnowledgeCentre/IndexofIMOResolutions/MSCResolutions/MSC.311(88).pdf
  3. 3 International Code for Fire Safety Systems (FSS Code), chapter 10, Sample extraction smoke detection systems, as replaced by resolution MSC.292(87) (ships constructed on or after 1 January 2012), paragraphs 2.1.2, 2.2, 2.3 and 2.4. https://wwwcdn.imo.org/localresources/en/KnowledgeCentre/IndexofIMOResolutions/MSCResolutions/MSC.292(87).pdf
  4. 4 IMO Resolution MSC.555(108), Amendments to the FSS Code (adopted 23 May 2024, in force 1 January 2026), annex, chapter 9, paragraphs 1.1, 2.3.1.5, 2.4.2.2 and 2.5.1.2 to 2.5.1.4. https://wwwcdn.imo.org/localresources/en/KnowledgeCentre/IndexofIMOResolutions/MSCResolutions/MSC.555(108).pdf
  5. 5 IMO MSC.1/Circ.1432, Revised guidelines for the maintenance and inspection of fire protection systems and appliances (31 May 2012), as amended by MSC.1/Circ.1516, annex, paragraphs 4.1, 5.10 and 7.2 (consolidated copy annexed to Cayman Islands Shipping Notice 01/2014 Rev 2). https://www.cishipping.com/system/files/notices/documents/CISN%202014_01%20Rev%202%20with%20Annex.pdf
  6. 6 Bahamas Maritime Authority, Marine Notice 79, Firefighting Equipment, version 2.2 (20 November 2025), section 5. https://www.classnk.or.jp/hp/pdf/activities/statutory/solas/solas_treaty/fire_protection/circular/ci_fi_bahama.pdf
  7. 7 Republic of the Marshall Islands Maritime Administrator, Marine Notice 2-011-14 (Rev. Aug/2025), section 12 and Appendix A. https://www.register-iri.com/wp-content/uploads/MN-2-011-14.pdf
  8. 8 IMO Resolution A.1186(33), Survey guidelines under the Harmonized System of Survey and Certification (HSSC), 2023, annex, (EA) 1.2.2.9 and (EP) 1.3.2.4. https://wwwcdn.imo.org/localresources/en/KnowledgeCentre/IndexofIMOResolutions/AssemblyDocuments/A.1186(33).pdf
  9. 9 Tokyo MOU, Report of the 2012 Concentrated Inspection Campaign (CIC) on Fire Safety Systems (November 2013), section 3, question 8 and deficiency analysis (code 07106). https://www.tokyo-mou.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/Final-Tokyo-MOU-Report-FSS-CIC-public-web-site.pdf
  10. 10 Liberian Registry, IMO MSC 110 meeting summary (2025), unified interpretations: MSC.1/Circ.1695 (FSS Code chapter 9, paragraph 2.4.2.2, spacing of combined smoke and heat detectors), effective 1 January 2026. https://www.liscr.com/marketing/liscr/media/liscr/online%20library/maritime/msc-110-meeting-summary.pdf

Free awareness training. Al Safwan Marine is not an approved training provider, so no certificate is given, and these courses are not a qualification. They don't replace STCW training, manufacturer training or the certification technicians need for this work. The manufacturer's manual and your flag's rules always come first.

Sign in to save your progress.

This lesson is also published by our sister site vslsafety.com.