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Safety specialist makes the case for putting more emphasis on fire prevention and fire safety.

September 26, 2022

3 Min Read
Fire damage to hay baler
FIRES HAPPEN: All it takes is for a bearing to fail and heat up during baling to produce a fire that can destroy the machine. Having a good fire extinguisher on the tractor might save equipment. Fred Whitford

How much time do you spend thinking about fire safety around the farm? That includes everything from inspecting your shop, tool shed and grain center for potential fire hazards, both electrical and otherwise; to making sure every tractor and implement is equipped with a proper fire extinguisher; to training family members and employees what to do if a fire breaks out.

Common sense would say fire safety should be high on anyone’s priority list. Reality suggests it might be easy to put this topic into the “out of sight, out of mind” category and spend your time on what seems like more pressing matters each day. Based on his experiences, Bill Field, Purdue Extension farm safety specialist, suspects farmers as a group may not give fire safety the respect that he believes it deserves.

Field recounts this example: “I attended a farm auction a few years ago, and the owner had taken the fire extinguishers off of tractors, combines and every piece of equipment,” Field says. “He put them all in a big pile in line to sell. Apparently, he thought he could make more money by selling them separately from the machines.

“The auctioneer got to the big pile of fire extinguishers, and he couldn’t even get a bid! I piped up and said I would bid $25 for the pile, and I got them all for that one bid.”

As it turns out, when Field checked prices later, the largest one in the group he bought, still in good condition, listed at $300 new! The pressure was low on a couple in the pile, and he paid $100 to have them refilled — more than he paid for the whole lot of fire extinguishers.

“The take-home message to me was that farmers as a whole put very little value on fire safety,” Field says. “I now have a couple of them in my shop, a couple in the barn, some in the garage and in the house. Fire extinguishers are a good tool for helping prevent a small fire from becoming a big fire.”

Fire extinguisher training

It’s one thing to have a fire extinguisher on hand where it might be needed. It’s another thing to know how to use it. “If you have never used one, it can be intimidating the first time,” Field says. “Sometimes, a person is startled when material starts spraying out, and the fire extinguisher is almost used up by the time they settle down and realize how to use it correctly.”

Perhaps a local fire department offers training on fire safety, including demonstrating how to use a fire extinguisher. If so, take advantage of that opportunity. Encourage family members and employees to take the training as well.

Most commercial fire extinguishers are equipped with a pressure gauge. If the needle is in the green, that usually indicates it’s still under charge, Field says. If you have fire extinguishers on hand that are no longer at full pressure and need servicing, consider using them for practice, Field says. Then have them refilled.

Taking fire safety seriously could not only save possessions but could prevent injury. Consider upping your game when it comes to fire safety on the farm.

Comments? Email [email protected].

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