On March 23, 2014, a fire ravaged a Devon Farm, which is located in the United Kingdom, and in the process the fire killed more than 6000 hens. BBC News reports that the Devon farm will take up to 12 months to recover. Similarly, a maple syrup farm was recently destroyed after the building burned to the ground in Nova Scotia, Canada.
These are only a couple of examples of how fire disasters can strike farm owners. Fire in farm buildings can result in loss of life, significant financial losses, and tremendous mental stress for business owners. Fires can also devastate lands and the local communities depending upon those lands. In order to predict the potential consequences of fire, we encourage more farm operators to perform risk assessments on their buildings. This risk assessment will help familiarize farm operators with their responsibilities, including how to reduce the risk of fire, by including fire protection in their business plan.
Our database of 900+ practical fire risk and other checklists can help you and your business stay safe. Using these checklists should help any farm business identify potential risks. However, every farm and agrobusiness is different so please use these checklists as a starting point, not a complete guide, to address unique issues around your property.
Don’t hesitate to talk to your local Fire Protection Office for fire safety advice or contact us for more details. Here are three checklists to get you started.
