Farms are usually located in rural areas where the nearest firefighters are volunteers and the possibility of rescue is limited. Rather than wait for the volunteer firefighters to reach the firehouse, suit up, get on the truck, and then try to locate your farm (about thirty to forty-five minute process after you call), you should install fire suppression systems on your farm. Here are three areas where it would be especially beneficial to do so.

In the Hay Barn

Hay is usually stored and dried before it is fed to cattle and livestock. Unfortunately, that much dry hay in one place is the perfect storm for fires. Most fires on farms almost always start in the hay barn. If you install a sprinkler system, you can stop some of the fire and fire damage from spreading to neighboring structures.

In the Machine Shed

Almost as bad as the hay barn, machine sheds contain tractors, combines, plows, etc., all of which are greasy and sometimes hot. It is important to keep the machine shed as clean as possible, but you may still get a fire there too if a hot engine covered in oil or grease ignites and finds additional fuel laying around. Keep your machines as far apart from each other as possible, and place fire extinguishers near all of the doors of the machine shed. Here, chemical fire suppression systems are ideal, as they can put out grease and oil fires.

In the Grain Silos

If you have any grain silos on your farm, these are just like the hay barns. You have tons of grain drying out and just sitting. Anything from a cigarette butt by a careless farm hand to a bolt of lightning will ignite the grain. If you can, construct a pressurized water silo near by so that you can attempt to hose down the silo and put out some of the flames. Otherwise sprinkler systems with water or chemicals will work (but you cannot use the grain as feed if you use the chemical extinguishers.

Installing These Systems

If you think you would like any of these systems in any of your farm buildings, call a fire suppression systems service like Echo Fire Protection. You can arrange for a meeting on your farm to discuss how to best use these systems, and which systems would be ideal for your needs. Get estimates of the work, and then schedule installation.