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Farms with their picturesque barns and silos can be fraught with hazards, especially now. The state has just entered a dangerous time: fall forest fire season extends from October 1 through December 31.
“Farmers are smart. They have technology and experience. Farmers know what to do,” said former West Virginia University Fire Service Extension (WVU-FSE) Program Leader Jeff Simpkins. “But once a barn fire gets going, there’s not much you can do.”
Simpkins said that knowledgeable farmers know not to burn underbrush or trash when there’s even a little bit of wind. An inexperienced individual is more likely to make an error in judgment that results in a fire getting out of control.
According to Canada’s Farm Safety Association, farm fires pose a special threat. Farms tend to be isolated and rarely have access to the well-equipped fire departments towns and cities have or to large quantities of water. Thus, “economic losses due to fires in farming are severe and out of proportion to the number of fires that occur.”
Simpkins said that many agricultural fires begin as flue fires in farm houses. A September 15, 2005, a National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) news release states that 45,500 home heating fires were reported to U.S fire departments in 2002.
Fireplaces and chimneys were involved in 43 percent of all home heating fires, and most of those fires were caused by creosote build up. The NFPA cautions that rising energy costs this winter may trigger more fires as homeowners use supplemental heating sources, such as space heaters and wood stoves.
The Farm Safety Association states that the leading cause of agricultural fires is open flames, including candles, matches, bonfires, sparks, static electricity, friction, welding and equipment.
Other causes of farm fires include spontaneous combustion and lightning. Under certain conditions, many materials heat spontaneously, including vegetable and animal oils, soft coal, fibers, such as flax, jute, wool, and hay and grass silage.
“This is the time of year that farmers put up hay for the winter,” said Roger Johnson, WVU-FSE adjunct instructor and retired firefighter. “Barns and hay storage facilities can catch fire from spontaneous combustion when hay is put away before it is completely dry.”
Simpkins grew up in Princeton, Mercer County, W.Va. “There are a tremendous
number of fires in the southern part of the state,” he said. “I’ve
fought a lot of brush fires.” Kanawha County leads the state in fires
with Cabell, Logan and Wyoming running close behind. There are also a considerable
number of fires in Lincoln, McDowell, Mercer, Mingo, Raleigh and Wayne.
WVU Fire Service Extension
PO Box 6610
Morgantown, WV 26506-6610
1-866-WVU-FIRE
