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
These vessels carry three 52-person life boats for use in evacuation operations.
RESCUE BOATS
These vessels carry one five-person rescue boat.
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
There are three marine evacuation stations on each side of the Upper Passenger Deck, where davit-launched life rafts are stored.
The six stations combined have an evacuation capacity of 1,500 people. Should there ever be a need to evacuate the ship, you will be directed to one of these stations.
FIRE EXTINGUISHERS
Fire extinguishers are located in all interior and exterior passenger decks areas. In addition, there are heat-sensitive sprinklers on the passenger decks, and manual deluge systems on the vehicle decks.
The information contained here applies to the Queen of Vancouver, Queen of Saanich and Queen of New Westminster only. Locations and complement of safety equipment on other vessels will vary.
This pagerevised as of Oct 3, 2008 at 2:08 PM Pacific
