Much like how house fires are a real and significant risk to homeowners, barn fires are the same for farmers! Each year, millions are lost to fires, and the equipment, livestock, and many other things lost can equal—or often even overtake—the cost of the burned-down structure itself.
That said, the bigger the farm is, the more challenging it is to ensure that the risk of fire is minimized. Although you might be thinking of strategies to fight off a fire, you must realize that the best solution to a problem is to stop it from ever happening in the first place!
Are you a farmer trying to reduce the risk of a barn fire? If so, here are excellent tips you can follow that can massively reduce the risk for you:
1) Keep Your Farm as Tidy as Possible
The messier your farm is, the higher the risk of fire that can happen! This is because when items are sprawled out everywhere, it just means that there are more hazards strewn about, and more ways for a fire to spread. On the other hand, if things are kept tidy, not only is the risk of fire much lower but should a fire start, not having things bunched up together ensures the fire has a much tougher time spreading!
2) Have a Fire Risk Assessment Carried Out
An excellent way to figure out how much risk your farm is at a barn fire is to have a fire risk assessment done. This service is generally accessible through your insurance provider or even the local fire department.
The good news is that the service itself is typically free of charge! Looking at the possibilities of fires by yourself can be tough, but these professionals have the experience to tell you what can lead to a fire, giving you recommendations on how to reduce the risk of a fire.
3) Be Careful When Handling Fire or Heat
Once in a while, you may find yourself needing to handle an activity that pumps out an incredible amount of heat. For instance, you may be cutting metal pieces with a torch or doing some welding. These are known as hot works—and the heat and sparks created from them can cause a fire.
If you are carrying out hot work, always be sure that you are doing it out of the building and away from anything combustible. If you have to work in the building, ensure it is well ventilated and that anything prone to catching fire is nowhere near your working area!
4) Repair or Replace Any Equipment That Looks Deteriorated
Over time, the equipment you use, especially the ones you use often, will slowly deteriorate. This can lead to overheating or even shortages that can lead to fires, and the older the equipment, the higher the risk it is for it to catch fire!
What you need to do is carry out any necessary repair and maintenance on equipment that looks deteriorated. If you find it incredibly hard to fix or repair, then replacing the equipment is an investment that you should consider.
It might be expensive to replace certain equipment, but this is nothing compared to the financial burden of a barn fire!
Conclusion
At the end of the day, you have to do whatever it takes to address the issue of barn fires. Prevention is key in saving your farm from a costly fire that may do more than hurt your finances. As such, implementing the above tips to reduce the risk of fire is a must for a restful night after a long day’s work!
That said, we are not saying that you should not have any plans to stop a fire should they occur. Having an emergency plan to prevent fires and another one to fight fire is a must! Remember, anything can happen on a farm—and fires are just one of them!
Direct-Line Insurance is a brokerage in Alberta that offers a customer-focused approach to providing insurance policies to our clients. If you are looking for farmers’ insurance in Edmonton, reach out to us today and get the policy you need!