IMO A.952(23)
Graphical symbols for shipboard fire control plans
Fire control signs for pumps, dampers and remote controls
Shipboard fire control signs identify the equipment, systems and operating points within a vessel's fire arrangements, linking each position with the fire control plan.
Identifying local and remote controls
A remote control may operate equipment in another compartment. Its label needs to identify both the function and the system or space affected.
This is important where similar handles or switches stand together. A general description such as ventilation control may leave several possibilities. The relevant space or system reference makes the distinction at the operating position.
Fire protection equipment and system locations
Fire control marking can identify pumps, detection panels, closing devices and other parts of the installed arrangement. These labels give the equipment a name that can be recognised in the physical space and on the drawing.
The wording needs to reflect the fitted function. A control for a fire damper and a control for another ventilation component may be nearby, but each requires its own identity.
The connection with fire control plans
The plan shows how equipment and systems are arranged across the vessel. Local signs identify those elements where crew encounter them.
Fire-fighting equipment location signs have a related role, marking appliances such as extinguishers and hose cabinets. Fire control identification adds the system and operating context. Consistent names and references allow the person reading the plan to connect it with the control, equipment or space in front of them.
Standards
What each standard covers here
IMO Resolution A.952(23) gives the graphical symbols for shipboard fire control plans and applies to ships built from 1 January 2004. ISO 17631 sets the requirements for the plans themselves, and ISO 24409-1 covers how the signs aboard are designed.
ISO 17631
Shipboard plans for fire control, damage control, life-saving appliances and means of escape
ISO 24409-1
Design principles for shipboard safety signs, fire control plan signs, safety notices and safety markings
Asking for a quote
What to tell us about the control
- What the control or equipment does, and which system or space it affects.
- Whether it is operated locally or remotely, and what stands next to it at the operating position.
- The name the item carries on the vessel's fire control plan.
- The size that suits the position, and the distance the label is read from.
- Rigid plastic or self-adhesive vinyl, the photoluminescent requirement, and the language.
Questions
Shipboard fire control marking, answered
What does this range cover?
Identification for the installed fire protection arrangement rather than the portable appliances: fire dampers — including dampers for machinery spaces, cargo spaces, accommodation and service spaces and ventilation ducts — the remote controls that operate them, and the other system equipment and operating points a fire control plan records.
Why does a label need to name the space as well as the function?
Because a remote control may operate equipment in another compartment, and similar handles or switches often stand together. A label reading only ventilation control leaves several possibilities open; the system or space reference makes the distinction at the operating position.
Which standards apply?
ISO 24409-1 covers how the sign is designed. ISO 17631:2022 covers the shipboard plans this marking has to agree with, and IMO Res. A.952(23) is the symbol source for fire control plans.
How does it relate to the fire control plan?
The plan shows how equipment and systems are arranged across the vessel; these labels identify the same elements where crew meet them. Consistent names and references let someone reading the plan connect it with the control or space in front of them. The portable appliances are marked separately, as fire-fighting equipment.
Can DENFOIL be bought directly?
No. DENFOIL is supplied through distributors, who quote the specification and handle the order.
Related maritime families
Fire-fighting Equipment
Extinguishers, hose cabinets, fire blankets and equipment lockers.
View categoryLocal distribution
Specifying fire control marking for a vessel
Tell us which controls and systems are fitted and how they relate to the fire control plan. A distributor quotes the specification.