Hot dry weather in Nova Scotia and PEI have created the optimum conditions for fire this month. The co-owner of Mull Na Bienne Farms Limited in Queens County, PEI says they were baling straw when the baler overheated and caught fire. They used fire extinguishers, and a neighbour with a water truck that kept the water on the baling equipment until the fire department arrived.
A similar event on Dykeview Farms in Centreville, NS, occurred a few days later with the back end of a combine harvester catching fire and spreading to a wheat field. Workers used a water cannon and fire extinguishers to put out the fire, but it later reignited.
Fires can quickly kill or seriously injure a person:
- Smoke inhalation causing asphyxiation and death
- Severe skin and internal burns
- Structural collapse causing crushing or striking deaths and injuries
When you notice a fire, tell the other workers to leave the area using the farms emergency procedures. Call 911, or have another worker call for help. Fires double in size every 60 seconds, so act fast!
If you are trained and authorized to extinguish a fire, the fire appears small, and there’s an extinguisher nearby that you feel is safe to use, quickly consider 3 P’s before using it:
- Path: Is there a safe exit without passing through any fire, smoke, or heat?
- Proper: Do you have the right fire extinguisher for the type of fire?
- Pressure: Is the pressure reading in the green?
If all 3 P’s are answered with a yes, and you feel safe; go ahead and use the fire extinguisher.
To use a fire Extinguisher, follow “P. A. S. S.”
Pull the pin:
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- Pull the pin breaking the seal.
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Aim the nozzle:
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- Aim the nozzle, at the base of the fire.
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Squeeze the handle:
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- Squeeze and hold the handle.
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Sweep from side to side:
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- Sweep from side to side to cover the fire.
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If conditions change, leave immediately!!!
