Carlow’s Acting Fire Chief is warning farmers to take extra care of their machinery.
In the last week the county crews have been called to three incidents locally involving agricultural vehicles.
Liam Carroll’s been telling KCLR News that it marks a rise of such call-outs in the past week saying “With heavy machinery operating with the dry conditions there has been an increase in the number of fires, vehicle fires and machinery fires that we’ve attended”
He adds “I’d just like to get out the message out to farmers and contractors just take care of their machinery, a simple method for preventing fires or for stopping fires is just to have a fire extinguisher on their tractors or loading shovels, combines, silage harvesters or whatever”.
Having one nearby could prove to be highly useful, as Mr Carroll outlines “If a fire should start that they can tackle the fire themselves initially to try and extinguish it so the type of extinguisher they should be carrying is a dry powder or a foam extinguisher, something around the size of a 5kg one, they can be got in most hardware shops, just to have it in the cab with themselves or have it attached to the machine somewhere it can be got to very, very quickly because these fires given the amount of fuel, hydraulic oil, rubber plastics that are on modern machinery these fires, they do take off very very quickly and they can cause considerable amount of damage”.
He also says “There’s no injuries thankfully but there was three loading shovels that were completely destroyed being honest with fire because, just as said, with the amount of fuel and hydraulic oil that’s on these machines if a fire does take hold by the time we get there, within twenty-five, thirty minutes, the machine will be wiped out”.
Here are some tips from the team to reduce the risk of your tractor or machinery catching fire:
• Keep machinery clean and free of combustible materials such as straw and hay, particularly engine compartments where machinery fires often start.
• Make sure certain exhaust systems including manifolds, mufflers and turbochargers, are free of leaks and in good working order.
• Follow instructions when installing and operating farm machinery and follow maintenance schedules.
• Replace worn electrical components, bearings, belts or chains.
• Keep appropriate fully charged fire extinguishers on tractors, silage harvesters, combines and near all farm machinery.
• Welders and acetylene cutting torches should only be used in clean areas away from any flammable and combustible materials.
• Store vehicles and machinery, which present special hazards, in buildings separate from those used for other purposes.
