ISO 17631

Signage for the location of firefighting equipment. Symbols must be photoluminescent or illuminated by emergency lighting. ASR A1.3.

According to SOLAS regulations (International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea), symbols must be either photoluminescent or illuminated by emergency lighting.

Regulations for Ships
Although not mandatory, many ships use signs representing Fire Plan symbols to identify equipment on board. Currently, there are two sets of Fire Plan symbols.

The SOLAS Consolidated Edition 2001, Chapter II-2, Regulation 20, and the 2000 SOLAS Amendments, Chapter II-2, Regulation 24, require the use of fire control symbols on Fire Plans in accordance with IMO Resolution A.654(16), available as signs.

The SOLAS Consolidated Edition 2004, Chapter II-2, Regulation 15, as amended, requires the use of fire control symbols in accordance with IMO Resolution A.952(23), which references ISO 17631 and applies to ships built after January 2000. Symbols from ISO 17631 referenced in IMO Resolution A.952(23) are available as signs.

Thus, ships built before January 2004 can continue using symbols from Resolution A.654(16) until the Fire Plans require major modification or replacement. When this happens, ISO 17631 symbols must be used for the new plans, regardless of the ship’s age. If posters have been used to identify firefighting equipment, they must also be updated to comply with ISO 17631.