A TWIN ACR FREIGHTER SINGLE PLT SPEAKS OF HIS HESITANCY IN SHUTTING DOWN AN ENG FOR A FIRE WARNING THAT MAY HAVE BEEN FALSE WHEN 25 MI E OF YKM; WA.

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THE R FIRE WARNING LIGHT AND MASTER WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED INFLT AT A CRUISE ALT OF 10000 FT MSL. I VISUALLY INSPECTED THE ENG AND ENG INSTS FOR ANY INDICATIONS OF AN ENG FIRE. I DID NOT OBSERVE ANY SMOKE OR FIRE AND ALL THE ENG INSTS APPEARED NORMAL. AFTER CONSIDERING THE WX AND THE ACFT'S CONDITIONS (ACFT WT; DENSITY ALT; CLOUD LAYERS; VISIBILITY; ICE; ETC); I ELECTED TO DO A PRECAUTIONARY ENG SHUTDOWN; INCLUDING DISCHARGING THE FIRE EXTINGUISHER BOTTLE. TO SHUT DOWN THE ENG; I PERFORMED ALL OF THE REQUIRED MEMORY ITEMS AND THEN FOLLOWED UP WITH THE ENG FAILURE/ENG FIRE CHKLIST. I THEN REQUESTED; AND WAS GIVEN; RADAR VECTORS TO THE NEAREST ARPT FROM ATC. I INFORMED THEM THAT THE R ENG HAD BEEN SHUT DOWN. ATC ASKED FOR FUEL REMAINING AND NUMBER OF SOULS ON BOARD. I WAS TOLD THAT THE FIRE CREWS WERE STANDING BY. I UNDERSTOOD THAT I WAS BEING GIVEN EMER HANDLING AND IT DID NOT SEEM NECESSARY TO DECLARE AN EMER. AFTER LNDG; I VISUALLY INSPECTED THE ENG AND THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF FIRE OR FIRE DAMAGE. HAD THERE BEEN AN ACTUAL ENG FIRE; THE FEAR OF BEING PUNISHED BY MY EMPLOYER FOR CAUSING A CUSTOMER DELAY MAY HAVE RAISED SAFETY CONCERNS BECAUSE OF MY RELUCTANCE TO PERFORM THE REQUIRED ENG SHUTDOWN. WHAT I WOULD DO DIFFERENTLY NEXT TIME: AFTER THIS INCIDENT; IT WAS EXPLAINED TO ME THAT SINCE THERE WAS NO INDICATION OF A FIRE; A BETTER COURSE OF ACTION MAY HAVE BEEN TO LEAVE THE 'APPARENTLY NORMAL' ENG RUNNING; INSTEAD OF SHUTTING IT DOWN. BY DOING IT THIS WAY; I COULD HAVE AVOIDED PUTTING MYSELF IN A POTENTIALLY MORE DANGEROUS SIT BY TAKING AWAY THE SECOND ENG AND THE GREAT AMOUNT OF EXCESS PWR THAT GOES WITH IT. HAD ICING CONDITIONS BEEN ENCOUNTERED OR A GAR BEEN NECESSARY; THIS SIT WOULD HAVE BEEN AN EVEN BIGGER EMER.