Embraer 145 crew reported a baggage smoke EICAS indication in the cockpit during pre-flight at the gate while baggage was being loaded and the Captain discharged the extinguisher while a ramp agent was in the compartment. The ramp agent was not injured and the warning was determined as a false warning.
Synopsis
Embraer 145 crew reported a baggage smoke EICAS indication in the cockpit during pre-flight at the gate while baggage was being loaded and the Captain discharged the extinguisher while a ramp agent was in the compartment. The ramp agent was not injured and the warning was determined as a false warning.
Narrative
During preflight I noticed the nav light was inop. I told the Captain and he called Maintenance. While on the phone with Maintenance we had flipped the standby switch and I had gone outside to check the navigation lights and when I was doing my walk around to check the lights again ground crew told me smoke came out of the baggage compartment which I believe they meant was the extinguisher went off. I did not see smoke/fire or the extinguisher go off. I went to go tell my Captain and he was coming outside already at that point. From there my Captain was on the phone with Maintenance while I worked with the Gate Agent and Flight Attendant to deplane the aircraft me get their valet bags situated. From what I saw nobody was injured. There was no smoke or fumes in the cabin. I did not witness the event in the cockpit I can just speak of what I saw outside.Root cause narrative: Not following the correct actions from the QRC vs memory items.Suggestion: Overall; knowing the QRC and memory items.
Second reporter narrative
I was on the flight deck while boarding to return to ZZZ from ZZZ1; while the First Officer stepped out of the flight deck to check the standby nav position lights were working correctly; the Baggage Smoke and associated EICAS message popped up. I reacted to what I thought was a fire and discharged the Halon bottle and immediately ran outside to clear the baggage compartment. There was a baggage handler in the area that was exposed however suffered no serious issues and consulted with the medical advisor. There turned out to be no indications of fire within the compartment; and the fire departments inspection could not find any evidence of a fire other than a hot spot within the compartment that I think might be a vent duct panel.Root cause narrative: False bag smoke indication; frustratingly I assumed the worst and reacted too quickly. The QRH only directs you to discharge the bottle if the baggage door is closed which was an error on my part. In hindsight I maybe could've ran back there; evaluated; if it was severe; I maybe could've cleared the area; closed the door before firing the bottle to contain a fire until the fire department gets there.Suggestion: In future I need to be 100% sure of the issue before reacting while also considering potential risks to the baggage handlers.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.