If you live in a rural area, the major factors that will affect your losses in a fire include distance from emergency services, accessibility, and access to water. You may not be able to convince the local volunteer brigade to relocate to that crossroads down from your south pasture, but you might consider some renovations that improve accessibility to your home in case a fire emergency happens.
Lend a Hand to Your Local Firefighters
- Create a wide, gently sloped driveway to your home that provides enough room to turn a fire engine around in.
- If you’re stuck with road access, clear and maintain a few paths through the trees and underbrush where firefighters can drag hoses without getting stuck in thorns.
- Make sure your address is clearly indicated so that emergency vehicles can find you.
- Keep your driveway and any access roads clear of snow during the winter.
- Identify a water source near your home that firefighters can tap into. The pond or pool will need to be easily accessible, fairly large and deep enough that the pump will not draw up material that’s likely to clog or damage it.
- Even better, set up a dry hydrant in your very own fire pond. The dry hydrant provides quick and easy access to your water, and you know it’s always within reach when the need is there!
- Remove obstacles
- Fix or replace common fire starters. In rural areas, fixed heaters such as wood stoves are involved in most residential fires. In barns and other farm buildings, damaged electrical equipment is most often the culprit
- Replace batteries or install new smoke alarms to increase your chance of survival in case of a fire.
Barn Fire Prevention
- Keep heat lamps and space heaters a safe distance from anything that can burn.
- Ensure heaters are on a sturdy surface and cannot fall over.
- Ensure electrical equipment is labeled for agricultural or commercial use.
- Ensure all wiring is free from damage.
- Do not use extension cords in the barn.
- Ensure all lightbulbs have covers to protect them from dust, moisture, and breakage.
- Remove dust and cobwebs around electrical outlets
- Store oily rags in a closed, metal container away from heat.
- Store feed, hay, straw, and flammable liquids away from the main barn.
- Ensure the barn is a smoke-free zone
- Ensure your workers are trained to use fire extinguishers.
- Perform hazard checks on a regular basis
Farm and Ranch Fire Prevention
- Remove vegetation from within at least 30 feet of residences and farm buildings.
- Create noncombustible zones around spaces where equipment, fuel, hay and chemicals are stored.
- Create and maintain appropriate types and sizes of fire guards around pastures and crops.
- Keep roofs free of combustible debris and materials and enclose eaves.
- Don’t store combustible materials under elevated platforms and enclose the areas under them with a mesh screen to prevent embers from accumulating in these areas.
- Construct and update farm buildings using ignition-resistant and noncombustible materials, including siding, chimneys, roofs, doors and windows.
- Consider installing sprinklers to protect residences, farm buildings and vegetation.
Livestock Action Plans
- Develop a plan to evacuate livestock, or maintain an area where livestock can be moved, such as a plowed or heavily grazed field or pasture with water and shade. This area should have clear routes; gates should remain open in the direction they need to travel
- Livestock refuge areas should be maintained upwind to minimize the effects of smoke. Additionally, compile a list of phone numbers of contacts who have experience with livestock handling experience that can help in an emergency and call for help.
Wildfire Protection
- Keep lawns trimmed, leaves raked, and the roof and rain-gutters free from debris such as dead limbs and leaves.
- Stack firewood at least 30 feet away from your home.
- Store flammable materials, liquids and solvents in metal containers outside the home at least 30 feet away from structures and wooden fences.
- Create defensible space by thinning trees and brush within 30 feet around your home.
- Landscape your property with fire resistant plants and vegetation to prevent fire from spreading quickly.
- Post home address signs that are clearly visible from the road.
- Provide emergency vehicle access with properly constructed driveways and roadways, at least 12 feet wide with adequate turnaround space.
- Make sure water sources, such as hydrants and ponds, are accessible to the fire department.
- Burning yard waste is a fire hazard. Check with your local fire agency on a non-emergency number for fire permit requirements and restricted burning times.
