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At this time of year our local farmers are working virtually round the clock gathering in the hay in preparation for the winter ahead. Improbable looking machinery and flatbed trailers piled to the rooftops with bales, trundle through the village day and night in a seemingly endless train stocking up the huge hay barns that are a feature of our area.
In winter the process reverses with the same hay being transported throughout the country for winter feed.
Fire in any property is an owner’s worst nightmare but for farmers fires in hay and seed barns can wipe out a full seasons crop in minutes. Farmers rely on the hot summer days to cure the hay but the same heat has the potential to cause fire from lighting strikes, stray sparks from garden fires and poor housekeeping like discarded glass and cigarettes. Overheated machinery and engines also have a fire risk particularly in dusty barns with air borne particulates and chaff. Uncured hay can also build up heat like a compost heap and self ignite.
The same risks apply to cattle barns and horse stables. Barn fires are rarely small and they spread rapidly. Nearly two-thirds of all barn fires engulf the entire structure so just like your house fire prevention is the best method to reduce the risk.
A well installed lightning rod is the best protection against lightening strikes. They lead lightening to the ground and away from the barn. Keep a clean barn. Knock down cobwebs. Rake loose straw and hay from aisle ways and overhead drop bins. Remove flammable gases like propane or welding gas. Never store engine oil or tractor fuel inside a hay barn or stable.
Fit a site fire alarm like the Howler or rotary hand bell to alert others to the fire. You can also buy radio linked smoke alarms with a range up to 50 metres to alert you to a potential fire when you are in the house or yard.
A 9lt fire extinguisher can tackle small fires so are useful in stables and small barns. When choosing an extinguisher, water and water additive fire extinguishers are the best solution for small hay fires but you should also purchase an extinguisher designed for several types of fires, an ABC dry powder is the most versatile and are available as fast response Mobile Wheeled Extinguishers up to 100kg capacity. It will extinguish larger fires involving solids, flammable liquids and gases and is safe to use around live electricity. For larger installations like the one close to my home, consider installing your own hydrant for connecting a lay flat hose or couple up a Hose Reel to a stand pipe. Although it should be self evident install appropriate Fire and Site safety Signage to remind people of their responsibilities.
The public also have a role to play. Don’t throw cigarettes out of car windows as they can provide the spark to burn crop fields before they can be harvested. When enjoying the countryside be sure to fully extinguish any camp fires, collect used and broken bottles and all rubbish from picnics and dispose of safely.
Enjoy what’s left of our indifferent summer and respect the countryside. It’s a living for some.
Tony
As a follow on to my last post I must put the record completely straight regarding Halon replacement fire extinguishers. For general use CO2 is the product of choice as it is affordable and widely available.
CO2 is not a catch all solution as it is only effective on Class B (flammable liquids) and electrical fires. If used to flood an enclosed room the gas could also quickly incapacitate and possibly kill any occupants.
There was a case earlier this year where two guys in the US discharged a couple of CO2’s at each other as a prank in an enclosed room and were rendered senseless in minutes – not that they had much sense in the first place by the sound of it. Luckily no fatalities.
The Halon alternative is a product called FE-36 developed by Dupont. In use it is also referred to as a Clean Agent Fire Extinguisher and we supply FE-36 as fixed automatic extinguishers. Automatic extinguishers work in the same way as most automatic fire sprinkler heads as they have a heat sensitive liquid filled glass bulb that breaks at a fixed temperature - around 79⁰C for FE-36 - which opens the valve allowing discharge. Clever little devices these bulbs. They have a small bubble of air inside. As the liquid and the air heats up they expand building pressure inside the bulb until it shatters. You can get bulbs that operate at different temperatures.
The FE-36 formulation extinguishers discharge a stream of gas and liquid droplets that flood the area and through a combination of chemical reaction, heat absorption and air expulsion suppress and extinguish the fire. Like CO2, FE-36 becomes a gas at very low temperatures, -1.4⁰C or 38⁰F in old money and has the important property that it leaves no residue that could harm sensitive electronics or valuable contents. The automatic feature also means you have protection round the clock.
FE-36 is effective on liquid fuel fires (Class B) and Gases (Class C) and is safe to use on electrical equipment. It is a direct replacement for Halon in terms fire fighting properties without the Ozone depletion issue. Applications include medical facilities - like MRI scanners, plant & machinery, computer server rooms, archives, museums, telecom switch rooms, clean rooms, marine craft, particularly in boat engine compartments and any similar installations involving enclosed areas housing delicate and or expensive contents.
Just a note of caution in that when discharged into a fire under certain conditions FE-36 can produce hydrogen fluoride (HF). Whilst this gas is usually presented in small quantities it is advisable to make sure that after a fire the area is well ventilated before allowing staff to return. Really this advice applies to any fire in an enclosed space as fires produce any number of toxic gases depending on what has been burning.
Tony
