46 CFR 167.45-5: Fire pumps and hoses on nautical school ships

Last reviewed: October 14, 2026

This section requires all nautical school ships to be equipped with fire pumps. The pump requirements depend on gross tons. It also sets rules for fire main outlets, hydrants, relief valves, fire hose and nozzles.

Applies toNautical school ships.

What it says

  1. All nautical school ships must be equipped with fire pumps.

    46 CFR 167.45-5(a)“All nautical school ships shall be equipped with fire pumps.”
  2. Nautical school ships of 100 gross tons and under must have one hand fire pump with a pump-cylinder capacity not less than 100 cubic inches, or a power-driven pump of equivalent discharge capacity.

    46 CFR 167.45-5(b)“Nautical school ships of 100 gross tons and under shall be equipped with one hand fire pump with a pump-cylinder capacity not less than 100 cubic inches, or a power-driven pump of equivalent discharge capacity.”
  3. For a nautical school ship over 100 gross tons, the text says that when it is of less than 1,000 gross tons it must have 1 pump, and when it is larger it must have at least 2 independently driven pumps connected to the fire main.

    46 CFR 167.45-5(c)(1)“When of less than 1,000 gross tons it shall have 1, and when larger it shall have at least 2 independently driven pumps connected to the fire main.”
  4. On oil-burning nautical school ships where two pumps are required, the pumps may be located in the same compartment if the compartment has an approved fixed carbon dioxide extinguishing system.

    46 CFR 167.45-5(c)(2)“On oil-burning nautical school ships, where two pumps are required, they may be located in the same compartment, if the compartment is equipped with an approved fixed carbon dioxide extinguishing system.”
  5. The fire hose must be connected to the outlet at all times, except on open decks where the hydrant location gives the hose no protection in heavy weather.

    46 CFR 167.45-5(d)“The fire hose shall be connected to the outlet at all times, except on open decks where the location of the fire hydrants is such that no protection is afforded for the hose in heavy weather.”
  6. Outlet openings must have a diameter of not less than 1 1/2 inches and must be fitted with suitable hose connections and spanners.

    46 CFR 167.45-5(e)“Outlet openings shall have a diameter of not less than 1 1/2 inches and shall be fitted with suitable hose connections and spanners.”
  7. The relief valve on a fire pump discharge may be omitted if the pumps, operating under shut-off conditions, cannot produce a pressure exceeding 125 pounds per square inch.

    46 CFR 167.45-5(f)“If the fire pumps operating under shut-off conditions are not capable of producing a pressure exceeding 125 pounds per square inch, the relief valve may be omitted.”
  8. Each firehose on the hydrant must have a combination solid stream and water spray firehose nozzle approved under subpart 162.027 of this chapter.

    46 CFR 167.45-5(h)“Each firehose on the hydrant must have a combination solid stream and water spray firehose nozzle that is approved under subpart 162.027 of this chapter.”

Common questions

How many fire pumps does a nautical school ship of less than 1,000 gross tons need?

For a nautical school ship over 100 gross tons, the text says that when it is of less than 1,000 gross tons it must have 1 pump. When it is larger, it must have at least 2 independently driven pumps connected to the fire main.

“When of less than 1,000 gross tons it shall have 1, and when larger it shall have at least 2 independently driven pumps connected to the fire main.”

Can a fire hose be removed from the hydrant on a nautical school ship?

The hose must stay connected at all times, except on open decks where hydrants give the hose no protection in heavy weather. It may also be temporarily removed when it will interfere with the handling of cargo.

“The fire hose may be temporarily removed from the hydrant when it will interfere with the handling of cargo.”

What standard must fire hose meet on a nautical school ship?

Each section of fire hose used after January 1, 1980 must be lined commercial fire hose that conforms to Underwriters' Laboratories, Inc. Standard 19 or Federal Specification ZZ-H-451E.

“Each section of fire hose used after January 1, 1980 must be lined commercial fire hose that conforms to Underwriters' Laboratories, Inc. Standard 19 or Federal Specification ZZ-H-451E.”

The text of 46 CFR 167.45-5

Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR), current as of April 16, 2026 · Read it on eCFR

Steam fire pumps or their equivalent

(a) All nautical school ships shall be equipped with fire pumps.

(b) Nautical school ships of 100 gross tons and under shall be equipped with one hand fire pump with a pump-cylinder capacity not less than 100 cubic inches, or a power-driven pump of equivalent discharge capacity.

(c) Nautical school ships over 100 gross tons shall be equipped with fire pumps and piping as follows:

(1) All nautical school ships shall be provided with powerful pumps available for use as fire pumps. When of less than 1,000 gross tons it shall have 1, and when larger it shall have at least 2 independently driven pumps connected to the fire main. Each pump shall be capable of delivering two powerful jets of water simultaneously from the highest outlets on the fire main at a Pitot tube pressure of approximately 50 pounds per square inch.

(2) On oil-burning nautical school ships, where two pumps are required, they may be located in the same compartment, if the compartment is equipped with an approved fixed carbon dioxide extinguishing system.

(d) Outlets from the fire mains shall be of a sufficient number and so arranged that any part of the living quarters, weather decks and any part of cargo decks, accessible to crew, while the nautical school ship is being navigated, may be reached with a single 50-foot length of hose. Outlets within accommodations and service spaces adjacent thereto shall comply with the above or they may be so arranged that any part may be reached with a single 75-foot length of hose provided a siamese connection is fitted at each outlet. Where the fire main is located on an exposed deck, branches shall be provided so that the hose connections necessary to comply with the foregoing be distributed on both sides of the nautical school ship. The fire hose shall be connected to the outlet at all times, except on open decks where the location of the fire hydrants is such that no protection is afforded for the hose in heavy weather. The fire hose may be temporarily removed from the hydrant when it will interfere with the handling of cargo.

(e) Outlet openings shall have a diameter of not less than 1 1/2 inches and shall be fitted with suitable hose connections and spanners. The arrangement of the fire hydrant shall be limited to any position from the horizontal to the vertical pointing downward, so that the hose will lead downward or horizontally, in order to minimize the possibility of kinking. In no case will a hydrant arranged in a vertical position with the outlet pointing upward be accepted.

(f) Fire pumps shall be fitted on the discharge side with relief valves set to relieve at 25 pounds higher than the pressure necessary to maintain the requirements of paragraph (c)(1) of this section and a pressure gage to indicate the pressure on the fire main. If the fire pumps operating under shut-off conditions are not capable of producing a pressure exceeding 125 pounds per square inch, the relief valve may be omitted.

(g) Each section of fire hose used after January 1, 1980 must be lined commercial fire hose that conforms to Underwriters' Laboratories, Inc. Standard 19 or Federal Specification ZZ-H-451E. Hose that bears the label of Underwriters' Laboratories, Inc. as lined fire hose is accepted as conforming to this requirement. Each section of replacement fire hose or any section of new fire hose placed aboard a vessel after January 1, 1977 must also conform to the specification required by this paragraph.

(h) Each fire hydrant must have at least one length of firehose. Each firehose on the hydrant must have a combination solid stream and water spray firehose nozzle that is approved under subpart 162.027 of this chapter.

The plain-English explanation on this page was written with AI from the regulation text above and checked automatically before publishing: every quote appears in the text, every number comes from it, and a second model confirmed each statement adds nothing the text doesn't say. Regulation text current as of April 16, 2026. The regulation text governs. RegKnot is not affiliated with the U.S. Coast Guard.