1.0 Introduction
Management of Fire Safety Procedures is an integral part of Safety management on ship. Fire Safety management procedure is the action on Fire Safety plan which are the collection of procedures and recorded information about the safety of various fire installations and the relevant procedures of fire safety. Fire safety management plan ensures acceptable standards relating to fire safety and the adherence and the standard maintenance. The safety plans provide, manage and maintain a safe and healthy working environment for all those onboard and it also promote awareness and protection against hazards at workplace.
The International Maritime Organisation (2009), ship safety is a subject that is currently receiving high attention by most countries; this was due to a number of serious vessel casualties that have occurred in recent years. (Howarth 1999), Fire Safety Management is “the application of policy, standards, tools, information and practices to the task of analysing, evaluating and controlling fire safety”. The introduction of a fire safety management model is useful for the analysis and measurement of the existing fire risks and possible recommendations for management to adopt
2.0 Fire Hazards onboard the Ship
The causes of fire in a ship can be predictable; on few occasions it could be accidents that may not be preventable. Various work items and appliances can trigger fire on board.
John G. Antherson (2000) states that the causes of fire on a ship aren't a lot different than the causes of fires in any urban setting, as there are electrical circuits onboard, there is a chance for an electrical fire is to occur. Also machinery on-board can get hot during operation, more so, an overheating bearing could also cause a fire.
2.1 Effective Fire Safety Management
Effective fire safety management is a key element in the overall fire safety of a vessel and its occupants. Managers need to plan effectively to combat the potentially disastrous effects of fire on-board, and to meet the many requirements placed upon them by various pieces of fire legislations applicable to vessels safety of all types and usage
At its 16th Assembly in October 1989, IMO adopted resolution A.647 (16), Guidelines on Management for the Safe Operation of Ships and for Pollution Prevention. The Code establishes safety-management objectives and requires a safety management system (SMS) to be established.
As part of Fire Safety Management promotion on-board, Safety Management System (SMS) was implemented to a framework for the proper development, implementation and assessment of safety and pollution prevention management in accordance with good practice. The objective was to ensure safety, to prevent human injury or loss of life, and to avoid damage to the environment, in particular, the marine environment, and to property.
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Effective fire safety advancement according to the vessel Safety Management System (SMS) includes regular fire training, fire drills, onboard safety training manual, testing if heat (smoke and flame) detectors, testing of audible and visual fire alarms, checking condition of portable fire extinguishers, inspecting the conditions of fixed fire extinguishing systems. Also, for firefighting equipment to include breathing apparatus are checked regularly and crew train on the use.
The fire safety management index developed uses elements of organizational arrangements, risk assessment methodology, compliance with fire safety law, emergency plans and procedures, communication and information, reporting and investigating fires, training, maintenance and standards, budgets and audit. 2.2 Consequences of fire
The result of fire on-board can result to physical, psychological and also huge financial losses to all on board and also the owners of the vessel. Accidents on-board may also cause human casualties. A good way to ensure that human life is not lost is for the crew and passengers to follow instructions given by the Captain. If the passengers follow the instructions swiftly, they will be able to escape from the ship safely. (L.M. Collins 1999)
Past accidents on board have proved that fire on-board a tanker ship will have a high chance of causing an explosion and fuel leaked into the sea will cause water pollution and that will affect the marine environment. Thousands of dollars will be used to clean up the oil spill. A case study given by the Port State Information exchange (2006) was that of Hyundai Fortune where an accidental fire broke out on 21st March 2006. The combined cost of the ship and damaged cargo is estimated at over 300 million US dollars.
2.3 Good Practice to Fire Safety Management
Good practice and tight governance are key factors to minimising fire hazards on board, M.Masellis and S.W.A.Gunn (1992) said that fire casualties on ships lead almost certainly to disastrous results because of the limited and isolated areas of the vessels and the lack of immediate and easy access for the rescue team.
Another safety measure is to install safety equipments. Equipment such as fire extinguisher, sprinkler system, gas monitor and other safety equipment are being implemented. According to The Safety of Life At Sea 1974 edition, the ship and its safety equipment have to undergo service once every few years.
Seafarers working on board a ship are required to be well trained in advanced firefighting and first Aid. The crew will also conduct regular safety drills after each departure from port. Having proper trained crews onboard a ship, will minimise the chance of human error and accidents from occurring.

2.4 Importance of Fire Safety Management to the Employees
An effective fire Safety Management is of immense benefit to the employees, It will provide them with all the necessary precautions and measures to fire safety at work and provide them with full protection against fire outbreaks, if they adhere to all safety rules and safe working procedures.
To promote and adhere to effective Fire Safety Management, the followings must be in place: * To know the location of fire extinguishers * To be aware of the emergency evacuation routes and exits * To know the designated area where personnel will gather following an evacuation to ensure that everyone is accounted for. * To practise weekly fire drills efficiently. * To define the responsibilities of every employee so that the latter can immediately report to a supervisor about any fire hazard or unsafe condition observed e.g. any blocked or obstructed fire exit, any damaged or inoperable fire extinguisher, or any fire incident or use of a fire extinguisher in the workplace. * To ensure immediate evacuation of the building and personnel assembly to the designated gathering area when a fire emergency is announced or sounded by an alarm, and the reinforcement a calm exits in case of a fire

2.5 Importance of Fire Safety Management to the Employer
There are huge collateral benefits on standard and effective Fire Safety Management to the Employer; up keep of good fire safety can reduce the financial costs, loss and huge insurance bill.
The maintenance of proper fire safety management will consist of different regulated procedures. As part of Fire Safety Management governance, employers are required to make a review of fire safety policy, plans and programs in a better way to enhance the safety at the workplace.
An efficient Fire Safety Management boosts employees trust at work and this can also increase productivity.
2.6 Limitations
In every factor of life there are always limitations, for the Fire Safety Management limitations, they are quite a combination of man-made and fund limitations and these are; * Lack of financial resources to implement the safety programs and fire safety procedures. * Training programs and fire drills need to be revised in accordance to that particular company therefore it requires time and money.

* Management unwillingness to cooperate on safety matters instead they are more focused towards improving their profitability. * Lack of effort to finding the root cause of fire outbreaks at specific places * Lack of trained personnel and lack of sophisticated equipment to combat fire * Few awareness campaigns on fire safety and less communication effort between the employer and employees. * Being humans and fallible even if the crew had proper training, human error will still occur. An article by B.S Dhillon (2007), human error costs the Maritime Industry $541 million per year and a study of 6091 major accident claims revealed that 62% of the claims were attributed to human error. B.S Dhillion (2007) added that human error contributes to 84% to 88% of tanker accidents.

Shipp (1994) stressed out that it is a continuous process that needs to be reviewed so as to be in line with the laws pertaining to fire safety and the possibility of time and cost constraints always arise whereas Todd (1992) concluded that “Fire Safety Management cannot be clipped from time to time”. It is a moral and a legal obligation to meet the requirements of fire safety.
Additionally, Hay (1992) highlighted that a fire risk can be detrimental to a business and can result in both direct and indirect losses. Total safety does not exist in such a dynamic business environment.
3.0 Conclusion
The importance of Fire Safety Management is hugely valuable to the shipping world, it is a general norm that sea mode of transport is absolutely a safe means of transport, but this has not been validated in recent times taking cognisance of the recent and past ship mishaps. Certainly the issue of improper safety has been a catalyst to this sea mishap and appropriate steps should be taken to address and promote the essence of Fire Safety management on-board.
Every year, the IMO and other Maritime Body work to improve a seafarer’s life in terms of safety conditions and to ensure that they are working in a safe environment to reduce marine casualties, loss in revenue due to unwanted accidents.
3.1 Recommendation
My recommendation is to introduce on ships; All-in-One fire extinguisher. This extinguisher would be able to combat all types of fire such as Class A, Class B, Class C or Class D fires. Provision of All-in-One fire extinguisher on board the ship will ensure that the crew will not waste time to find different methods to combat different types of fire.
Another improvement that could be introduced is the fire isolating system, this system will isolate the fire from spreading to other rooms and this will reduce the damage caused towards the ship. The Maritime Port Authority said that this new inventions will further improve the safety aspects but it still needs to undergo more tests before it can be implemented towards the ships.