Cobham SATCOM welcomes new tighter safety regulations for use of fire fighter radios protecting life and assets at sea
Cobham SATCOM today announced that it welcomes the improved safety regulations that will further protect the welfare of seafarers using fire-fighter radios. The International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) unified interpretation of the essential safety requirements of the fire-fighter radio, and the EU's addition of the fire fighter radio in the Marine Equipment Directive (MED) mean enhanced safeguarding for life and assets in the most extreme and dangerous situations at sea. The regulatory updates are a further seal of approval for Cobham’s SAILOR 3965 UHF Fire Fighter radio, which is already compliant with both regulatory updates. SOLAS regulations require all vessels to carry two-way fire-fighter radios which enable trained seafarers to communicate effectively in an emergency; detecting and extinguishing fires before they cause significant risk to life and a vessel’s integrity. Approval under the MED is based on dedicated maritime standards, taking the harsh environment and users’ conditions into consideration. The decision to include the fire-fighter radio in the MED, which contains more stringent approval procedures, demonstrates the EU’s commitment to ensuring radios are fit for purpose and better supports life at sea safety provision.
From 3 October 2022, all new fire-fighter radios installed on-board EU flagged vessels have to be Wheelmark approved to prove compliance with the MED. Until that date, Radio Equipment Directive (RED) CE marked radios will be accepted.
Read more
