Farm Fire Safety




Keeping Your Farm Safe, Together

Each year in the UK on average around 1,600 farm buildings and 85,000 areas of grassland are destroyed by fire.

Around 40% of these fires are started deliberately, many as an act of mindless vandalism. A serious fire on a farm can affect the financial stability of even the most well run business.

A large proportion of our Service area is home to a tapestry of rural and agricultural communities, with many of our fire stations based within these villages and towns. To best protect these communities, we are proud to draw upon the invaluable resource of our on-call firefighters, many of whom are primarily employed within the agriculture sector.

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Controlled Burning

Controlled habitat burning is important in maintaining natural habitats and reducing the amount of dry heather and vegetation which, when left unburnt can devastate habitats and wildlife in Wales.

Burning illegally, without following the regulations set out in the Heather and Grass Burning Code for Wales 2008  (PDF, 400Kb, Opens in a new window/tab), could result in penalties being applied to any rural payments received as well as criminal offences; therefore we want to work with those people who are using burning as a land management practice to make sure they do it safely and legally.

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Free Bale Temperature Testing

If you have concerns regarding the temperature of your bales, please contact us to request a check of the temperature and moisture content of the bales, using specialist equipment. 

Depending on the readings we receive, we will then work with you to formulate a plan to manage the risk of spontaneous combustion.

To book a free bale temperature testing visit, please contact our Farm Liaison Officer on 0800 169 1234.

If the bales are smouldering or on fire, call 999.

 



Livestock Rescue

We also respond to animal rescues and our crews carry specialist equipment that can be utilised to perform rescues on farms.

We can also deploy specially trained rope rescue teams and wading teams to rescue an animal from height, water and unstable ground, such as slurry pits.

NEVER put yourself at risk.

In the event of your livestock needing rescuing, call 999.

 





Free Safety Checks

40% of farm fires are started deliberately, either as an act of mindless vandalism or arson.

This is often due to due to their isolated location, open boundaries and ready fuels.

A visit from our Farm Liaison Officer will include FREE fire prevention advice as well as discussing  fire plans in the event of a fire. As most farms are also homes our Farm Liaison Officer can also provide you with a Safe and Well check at the same time.



Farm Liaison Officer

Due to the rich farming heritage of mid and west Wales, the Service also employs a Farm Liaison Officer to work with farmers to best protect their property and livestock from the threat of fire. 

Our Farm Liaison Officer is Jeremy Turner, the son of beef and sheep farmers near Hay-on-Wye. Jeremy works on the family farm and runs a small agricultural contracting business. He has also served the community of Hay-on-Wye, as an on-call firefighter, for several years.

 




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