Rural fire safety

Fire risks on farms - electrics

Electrical problems account for many fires in agricultural properties. Here are a few common issues that we find:

• 

  Battery charging

  • An exploding battery can be catastrophic.

  Solution

  • Battery charging should always be carried out in well ventilated areas away from naked flame or sparks.

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  Domestic appliances

  • Using old domestic appliances on the farm/stables which may have been discarded from homes. (washing machines, driers etc). Photograph courtesy of Harry Paviour.
  • Siting electrical appliances where if a fire started would quickly spread to other areas. (washing machine/ drier in barn etc).

  Some solutions

  • Site appliances such as washing machines and driers in areas away from flammable materials.
  • Don't dry rugs and tack etc next to fires, use alternative heating systems.
  • All portable appliances should be subject to an annual portable appliance test by a qualified electrician.

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• Electrical sockets and wiring

  • Overloaded sockets or extension reels ie, using too many items which draw lots of electricity causing the sockets to overheat and catch fire.
  • Extension reels not fully unwound before work. Coiled up leads also become very hot and may catch fire.
  • Old portable electrical appliances that have never been tested and may be unsafe.
  • Electrical wiring gnawed through by rats or squirrels.
  • Extending existing electrical systems which may cause overloading.

  Some solutions

  • Check the rating of tools/appliances to ensure you are not overloading a socket or extension lead.
  • Fully unwind extension leads before use or use shorter ones.
  • Have your electrical systems and appliances periodically checked by a qualified electrician.
  • When replacing electrical wiring try to make it rodent proof by fixing under beams or ideally in conduit.

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  High voltage electricity lines

  • High voltage electricity lines are not insulated. How can you tell? Well, high voltage lines (over 1000 volts) will be arranged horizontally and low voltage (under 1000 volts) will be vertical.

  Solution

  • Avoid using ladders, hoses or anything else conductive near them.

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  Lighting and dust

  • Lights such as halogen bulbs which are very hot and in places where cobwebs and dust can build up. Very fine fuels such as dust and cobwebs will ignite easily and may dislodge other dust which in turn catches fire. Photograph courtesy of Harry Paviour.
  • Other lights and electrical items that are in direct contact with dust or other flammable materials, ie bales of hay/straw.

  Some solutions

  • Use bulkhead type lighting and ensure fluorescent lights have covers on to protect from dust.
  • Clean dust and cobwebs as part of your maintenance plan.

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  Untidiness

  • Untidiness in work areas where welding or grinding takes place could cause a spark to smolder before becoming a major blaze.

  Solution

  • Keep work areas clean and have some firefighting measure in case of an accidental fire, ie hose or fire extinguisher.

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Fire risks on farms - flammable materials

Farms are a mixture of flammable materials which can all be described as fuel and are the reason why fires are so devastatingly quick to grow. Most people fill barns or other storage areas with no thought given to what would happen in a fire. Here are a few issues to consider:

• If you store hay/straw or other bedding material in buildings containing livestock or vehicles, a fire will grow so quickly that you will probably lose the livestock and machinery without a chance of recovery.
• Hay or straw stored in barns upwind will cause extreme smoke logging of the farm, allow burning embers to set light to other buildings/crops and will hamper any rescue or firefighting efforts by staff or the Fire and Rescue Service.
• The heat from a fire may set fire to adjacent property or materials before the Fire and Rescue Service can bring it under control.

How can you reduce the effects of a fire?

• Try to store hay/straw and other flammable materials in a barn down wind of the prevailing wind if at all possible. This is particularly important when planning new buildings.
• Don’t store flammable materials with livestock or vehicles.
• Try to keep the barn clear of other materials and property.

Fire risks on farms - smoking

• Discarded smoking materials are a common cause of accidental fires in agricultural properties.
• Small fires can smoulder undetected for some considerable time and when noticed it is often too late to stop a huge blaze.

How can you prevent fires caused by smoking?

• The best way to prevent these fires is to have a no smoking policy and advertise this by erecting signs which will inform anybody who enters the yard. Want help finding appropriate signs... visit www.ruralsafetysigns.co.uk.

Fire risks on farms - cylinders

Cylinders are one of a firefighters worst nightmares and one extremely common factor at agricultural incidents.

• Identify the location of cylinders in smoke.
• When heated cylinders can explode, fragment or behave like a rocket.
• Walls are no protection from an exploding cylinder.
• Firefighters have been killed by cylinders and as such have to behave defensively if they are involved. This means they might not be able to protect your property due to the extreme danger to life.
• Most farms do not store cylinders appropriately and have unused cylinders stored unnecessarily.

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How to manage cylinders

• Limit the numbers of cylinders you keep.
• Any unneeded acetylene cylinders should be removed immediately and taken back to the supplier. Some will arrange collection. Acetylene cylinders will result in major disruption and huge financial implications if involved in a fire.
• Cylinders should be stored on their own, ideally outside in a cage or similar locked store with a sign indicating their presence, see the images below, the one on the left demonstrates good storage practice.
• Review your work and decide whether you even need to use acetylene. There are alternatives such as oxy-propane or petro-gen that are much safer and will not cause you as many problems if involved in fire.
• Erect signs to alert firefighters to the presence of cylinders if they are in buildings.
• At a fire give the fire officer as much information as possible.

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Examples of good and bad cylinder storage

Good storage                                     Bad storage

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Fire risks on farms - arson

It is difficult to understand why someone would set fire to your barn or livestock buildings but sadly it is a reality and extremely difficult to prevent. The measures you decide to implement will depend a lot on the value of potential losses in a fire or inconvenience of such a fire.

Hampshire Police and Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service are working closely as an Arson Task Force. They have had successes in prosecuting offenders for agricultural fires and are working hard on your behalf. Similarly the Rural Safety Team is working to prevent fires in the first instance.

How you can reduce the impact and occurrence of arson

• Ensure your property is properly insured.
• Make your property as secure as possible, this could include locking gates and buildings and erecting security lights or cameras.
• Speak to your local Police Crime Prevention Officer or Country Watch Officer who will give sound advice on security and Country Watch schemes. (Further information on Crime Prevention or Country Watch can be found on the links page...)
• Be vigilant and look out for your neighbours too.
• Use your risk assessment to identify hazards and determine how you can prevent losses in the event of a fire.
• Don’t make life easy for an arsonist, clear away rubbish or flammable materials from around buildings.

Fire risks on farms - fertilisers

When stored correctly ammonium nitrate fertiliser is safe.

Fertilisers containing less than 28% nitrate are also relatively safe and do not have such strict storage guidance. However, more than 28% ammonium nitrate fertiliser is of great concern to the Firefighter when involved in fire or contaminated by other things such as fuels and oils.

It is also of concern to the Police as it is a chosen material by terrorists in making bombs.

Storing fertiliser safely

• Store fertiliser in a clean environment where it cannot be contaminated.
• Try to keep fertiliser stores away from other flammable materials.
• Make stores as secure as possible and if you suspect theft report it to the Police immediately.
• Any fertiliser not required for programmed use should be evaluated as to whether it is necessary to keep.