Purchased A New Farm? Some Tips On Agricultural Fire Safety

If you just purchased a new farm, you need to ensure you keep your farm and your animals safe. One thing you should do is have the proper equipment in place so you can prevent a fire or distinguish fires quickly if they do start. Below is some information about this so you can get started running your new farm:

Things That Can Cause Fires on Farms

Fires occur mostly in the summer months and winter months. During the summer, hot hay can spontaneously combust, or you may have an electrical storm. Your farming equipment may malfunction and set on fire. During the winter, rodents may chew through wires. Heating equipment is often used in barns, which may malfunction and cause a fire. For example, you may use heat lamps in your barns to help keep the animals warm.

Some flammable materials found on farms include:

• Grain dust
• Paint
• Straw and hay
• Pesticides
• Fertilizer

Fire Suppression Equipment

You need to have fire suppression equipment on your farm, including:

Fire Extinguishers

There are different types of fire extinguishers including:

• Water: Water fire extinguishers work well for Class A fires, which are solid fires, such as plastic, papers, and wood.
• Powder: Powder fire extinguishers work well for Class A, as well as Class B and C fires. When sprayed on the fire it leaves a sticky substance that sticks to the surface, which results in fire suffocation.
• Foam: Foam fire extinguishers work well for Class A and B fires. The foam cools the surface and suffocates the fire.
• C02: C02 fire extinguishers work well for Class B and Class E fires. Class E fires are fires started from flammable liquids or electrical equipment.

Fire Sprinkler

Another type of fire suppression system is a fire sprinkler. You can install this type of sprinkler system in all your barns as well as any other area you are concerned with fire. The system is installed in the ceiling and sprinkler heads drop down when a fire is detected and sprays water over the area to put out the fire. If you have a large barn, you would need to install rows of fire sprinklers to cover the entire floor.

You do have to consider that sprinkler systems use a lot of water as they must maintain the right pressure to put the fire out. If you do not think you will have enough water, you can install a standby water tank in case you run out.

Talk to a company that sells fire suppression equipment and they can give you more information about these, as well as other equipment you may want to purchase.

Contact a company like Echo Fire Protection for more information and assistance.