Bendy, from the FCTM
FIRE PROTECTION
Fire and/or smoke in the fuselage present the crew with potentially difficult situations. Not only will they have to deal with the emergency itself, but also the passengers are likely to panic should they become aware of the situation. It is essential therefore, that action to control the source of combustion is not delayed. Consider an immediate diversion.
SMOKE
If smoke or fumes are detected in the flight deck, the crew should immediately don their oxygen masks with 100% selected.
Smoke in the cabin should be easily identifiable and thus easier to fight. The source is identified either by a local warning, e.g. lavatory fire, or by direct observation by the cabin crew. In every case, the aim is to isolate the source of the smoke and extinguish any fire. When fighting a fire in the cabin, wear a PBE to avoid smoke inhalation.
It is not so easy to identify the source of smoke from either the air conditioning or avionics. If the source of the smoke is immediately obvious, isolate the faulty equipment without delay.
Air conditioning smoke can be transported to other cabin areas and some difficulty may be encountered in identifying the origin of the smoke. Avionics smoke requires the crew to isolate the faulty equipment, which can also be quite difficult to ascertain. There may not be any ECAM warning. If this is the case, apply the QRH procedure.
The QRH procedure is designed to cover all cases even where the source of the smoke or fumes is unknown. It should be applied if smoke or fumes is detected with or without AVNCS VENT SMOKE ECAM activation. If the AVNCS VENT SMOKE ECAM procedure is displayed, suspect avionics smoke.
The single procedure layout is organised in three steps:
- Common actions (before the text box). These should be applied
immediately, whatever the origin of the smoke, and before trying to identify this origin. They are designed to protect the crew, extract the smoke overboard, prevent smoke recirculation and isolate potential sources.
- Smoke removal procedure (text box). At any time during the procedure, if dense smoke exists, the crew may apply the boxed items for smoke removal. The SMOKE REMOVAL procedure will eventually direct the crew back to complete the SMOKE/FUMES/AVNCS SMOKE procedure.
- Specific actions to identify and isolate potential smoke sources (below text box).
CARGO SMOKE
The cargo smoke detectors are sensitive to the extinguishing agent. Therefore, even after successfully extinguishing a cargo fire, the SMOKE FWD (AFT/BULK) CRG SMOKE warning can be expected to remain.
LAND ASAP in red is displayed on the ECAM. As there is no method of checking whether a cargo fire has been extinguished, divert to the nearest suitable airport.
On the ground, instruct the ground crew not to open the cargo door until the passengers have disembarked and fire services are present.
On the ground, smoke warnings may be triggered due to high levels of humidity or following spraying of a compartment to comply with quarantine regulations. If a SMOKE warning occurs on the ground with cargo compartment doors open, do not immediately discharge the extinguishing agent without first ordering the ground crew to investigate and eliminate the smoke source. If the warning is confirmed to be false, then once extinguished, it will be necessary to reset VENT CONT 1 & 2 reset buttons to restore normal cargo ventilation (FCOM 3.02.26 refers).