At BC Ferries, passenger safety is our highest priority. In every way, the Corporation either meets or exceeds the safety standards established by Transport Canada. From vessel design and operation, to crew training and rescue equipment, you can rest assured that BC Ferries puts safety first.
PREPARED FOR EMERGENCIES
Officers and crew, from the people on the bridge and in the engine room, to those who work in the catering areas, are Transport Canada Marine Safety certified to deal effectively with emergency situations.
As part of our ongoing commitment to safety, operational guidelines call for a boat and fire drill by each watch, twice during every "duty cycle" - every five to ten days, depending on the watch rotation aboard individual ships.
Over one thousand drills will be conducted this year to ensure the highest safety standards for BC Ferries' vessels and crews.
In the event of an emergency, please move away from the areas of concern and always follow the instructions of ship's personnel. You are also asked to avoid using elevators or going to the vehicle decks unless otherwise instructed.
EMERGENCY SIGNALS
The following signals are used to alert crew members to an emergency:
Fire - a continuous ringing of the alarm bell.
Person Overboard - three long soundings of the whistle and general alarm bell. In Person Overboard situations, never crowd outer decks where rescue operations are underway.
Boat/Raft Stations - seven (or more) short soundings followed by one long sounding of the ship's whistle and/or alarm bell.
Signals will be followed by an announcement explaining the nature of the emergency. If you hear a signal, don't panic. Our crew will take immediate charge of the situation, and let you know exactly what to do.
LIFE BOATS
The Queen of Tsawwassen carries five life boats for use in evacuation operations.
RESCUE BOATS
The Queen of Tsawwassen carries one rescue boat, while the Queen of Nanaimo carries two.
LIFE JACKETS
Life Jackets are stowed in clearly marked lockers throughout all interior and exterior decks.
Note: There are two types of life jacket available: one for young children up to 90 pounds (41 kg), and one for adults.
SHIP EVACUATION
The Queen of Tsawwassen has two davit launched life raft stations on the passenger deck forward. Evacuation capacity is 665 people.
On the larger Queen of Nanaimo, there are four evacuation slide stations located on the main passenger deck. The Nanaimo has a total evacuation capacity of 1,004 people.
FIRE EXTINGUISHERS
Fire extinguishers are located in all interior and exterior passenger areas. In addition, there are manual pull stations throughout vessels, a manual "deluge" system on the Vehicle Deck, and a manual CO2 smothering system in the Engine Room.
On the Queen of Nanaimo, there is also a heat-sensitive sprinkler system in crew and passenger lounges.
The information contained here applies to the Queen of Tsawwassen and Queen of Nanaimo only. Locations and complement of safety equipment on other vessels will vary.
This pagerevised as of Feb 10, 2006 at 10:06 AM Pacific
