WAR EREE EXTENSION OCTOBER. 1942 5 BULLETINW I Farmstead Fire Prevention By DAVID S. WEAVER Extension Agricultural Engineer Think! $5,000 worth of farm property will have been destroyed before you finish reading this leaflet. This statement assumes that average conditions will prevail as over $150,000,000 worth of farm property is destroyed every year by fire in the United States. This is approximately $300 per minute for every minute in the twenty-four hours. It is estimated that 1/7 of the farmer s net profit goes up in smoke every year. But this is only a part of the tragic story. Ten people will lose their lives today in farm fires as a tenyear average shows 3,500 people per year burned to death on the farms of this country. When the nation is bending every effort to conserve its manpower and its materials, attention to the reduction of these ghastly wastes is justified. It is just good common business sense to remove as many fire hazards as possible and to take a few simple precautions to be ready to fight fire should it start. There are just three things necessary for a fire to start. 1. Something that will burn, such as oil, straw, wood, clothing. 2. This burnable material must be heated to a temperature that will cause it to catch fire. This KINDLING TEMPERATURE varies with materials. Gasoline, oils, et cetera, catch fire at low kindling temperatures, while other materials require higher temperatures. 3. Air must be supplied in order for the material to continue to burn. If we analyze these three simple factors necessary for fires, we can find many ways in which we can prevent the occurrence of fires by destroying the conditions necessary for a fire to start or continue to burn. On the reverse side of this sheet are a number of drawings which illustrate some Do s and Don t in regard to fire prevention. There are many other precautions which common sense will indicate should be taken. It is said in an old Chinese proverb that a picture is worth a thousand words. It is believed that by catching the idea of these pictures our farm people can carry out a simple, inexpensive fire prevention program. The following paragraph numbers refer to the diagrams on the other side: 1 and 16 The accumulation of soot on the inside of a chimney constitutes a fire hazard, and as faulty chimneys represent perhaps the greatest cause
x»\_.\.- of fire in homes simple precautions should be taken to keep the chimney in good repair. At least once a year a complete inspection of the chimney should be made and it should be thoroughly cleaned. Figure 1 shows a man using a heavy chain to remove the soot from the chimney. At that time inspection for fallen bricks, cracks, et cetera, should be followed by repair measures. 2 and 14 These figures refer to equipment for fighting fires. Figure 2 illustrates a simple cabinet or closet Where special tools in the form of shovels, rakes, buckets, hose, axe, et cetera, are kept at all times and not used for other purposes than fighting fire. Figure 14 brings out the idea of the use of fire extinguishers, several good types being available. 3 A water barrel kept at a downspout of a building so that it will always be filled with rain water is very desirable where water under pressure is not available. The enlarged insert shows a number of wooden buckets in a barrel filled with water. In the case of an emergency each bucket may be lifted out and as the water level is above the top of the bucket each bucket in turn will be full of water as it is lifted out, enabling the fire fighter to gain considerable time. A tight cover or frequent treatment with oil of the surface of water will prevent mosquitoes being harbored there. 1, This figure represents the use of metallic containers for inflammable material. Wooden barrels, boxes, and baskets should never be used for ashes, oily rags, or other materials which might spread flame to farm buildings. 5 Every farm has a certain amount of rubbish and trash to be burned. This should be carried out a considerable distance from the buildings and from inflammable material in the field, such as hay or small grains. The fire should be started early enough in the day so that it will be completely out before night falls and should not be left without an attendant nearby. No fire should be started on extremely windy days, as flaming pieces of paper may be carried a considerable distance in a stiff wind. 6 This diagram illustrates the accumulation of antiques of all kinds in the attic of the home. If such material must be stored there or elsewhere about'the farm, it should be classified and kept in an orderly condition with space all around it for quick movement in case fire should break out. Experience in the bombing of Britain has shown that many fires got beyond control due to inability of the fire fighters to get to their source quick enough because of obstacles in the attics of homes. Sometimes this material should be sent in to salvage collectors or refitted for home use rather than being left to accumulate and form a fire hazard. 7 and 11 The smoking of cigarettes, cigars, and pipes has cost this nation millions of dollars through fires started by carelessness in their use. Barns particularly with their accumulation of straw, shavings, dust, and hay constitute a frequent source for fires started with smoking equipment. Do Not Smoke in the Barn, should not only be a slogan, but should actually be carried out on every farm. If one must smoke about the farm premises, common sense precautions should dictate careful putting out of lighted matches, cigarettes and cigars. Smokers are creatures of habit and frequently fail to stamp out completely the ashes they have just knocked out of their pipes. These ashes falling on the highly inflammable material found in many of the farm buildings cause many millions of dollars worth of fire every year.
8 Every farm with an electric system has a fuse box of some kind or another. This is usually at the entrance switch and consists of a main fuse and usually as many secondary fuses as there are circuits running from the switch box. All of these fuses should be of the proper size and in no case should any substitute for a commercial fuse be inserted in the socket. The use of pennies and other pieces of metal cannot be too severely criticized. Consult your electric company or R. E. A. Cooperative about the proper size fuse to use and USE THEM. It will prove more satisfactory in the end to lay in a supply of the right size fuses and keep them available to the fuse box..9 It is said that Mrs. O Leary s cow kicked over the lantern and started the great Chicago fire. Figure.9 attempts to show what may happen when old Bessie flicks a fly and hits the lantern. If lanterns must be used to illuminate the barn, they should be securely set on a special shelf provided for them. Setting them on the floor or hanging them. by a string from the ceiling is extremely risky. Not only the cow but other animals, as well as children, frequently knock over kerosene lamps and lanterns at great risk to the property and life on the farm. 10 One of the more frequent causes of residential fires in the rural section is the use of long, unsupported stove pipes and poorly fitting stove pipes. Stove pipes should be supported by metal wires at least every three feet. All fittings should be tight and frequently inspected. The stove itself should set on a metal fire protector. 12 On a modern farm gasoline, kerosene, and oil are important and useful articles of everyday living. A knowledge of what they may be used for and what they may not be used for is essential to the safety of the farm. Many lives are lost each year in using kerosene and even gasoline to start fires. This practice should be completely discontinued. Proper storage of these highly inflammable materials is essential if complete fire protection is to be afforded. 13 Many farms do not have ladders of any kind. Other farms have lad ders but they are so short that one would be unable to get on the roof in case of a roof fire. It may be found very desirable to have sturdy sharp hooks built on the end of a long ladder in order that they may be hooked into the roof. Many a house or barn could have been saved had it been possible to quickly get at the source of fire before it got beyond control. Ladders should be kept in a well-known place and in good repair at all times. 15 Where running water with a plenteous supply is not available, auxiliary ponds may often be built at small expense. These ponds may often serve other purposes, such as fish ponds, watering ponds for livestock, et cetera. However, their primary purposes should be to have in readiness an adequate supply of water in case of fire. 17 This figure calls attention to the desirability of annually or even more frequently making a thorough and complete check of chimneys, wiring, stoves, heating equipment, trash disposal, et cetera, et cetera, all of which may constitute an active fire hazard. A ten-year study of the causes and prevention of fire in a middlewestern state shows that 85% of the total damage done by fires on farms could be attributed to five causes. All other causes fade into relative insignificance when compared to defective flues, sparks on roof, defective heating systems, defective wiring, and defective oil and gas stoves. A little thought will
indicate that every one of these five most important causes of farm fires is largely preventable. Defective fiues heads the list with 32% of the total damage. There is absolutely no excuse for a thinking man to risk the life of his family and the value of his home and adjoining buildings by being so careless as to fail to frequently inspect and repair the flues and chimneys on his buildings. Considering the barn alone, 78% of the total damage by fires result from three causes, namely, the spontaneous ignition of hay, lightning and defec tive Wiring. The study reveals that lightning caused over 31% of the total damage to barns. It further revealed that unrodded barns caused 28% of 31% while barns adequately protected from lightning cause only 3% of the damage. The same study revealed that in dollar value 47% of the total loss on the farms occurred in the dwellings and 20% in the barns. The remaining per cent was well distributed over the numerous smaller farm buildings. Again we would like to repeat that farm fires are very largely preventable. Frequent inspection of all likely sources of fire with the immediate removal of the cause will prove one of the most profitable enterprises on the farm. NORTH CAROLINA STATE COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE AND ENGINEERING OF THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AND U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. CO-OPERATING N. C. AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION SERVICE I. O. SCHAUB. DIRECTOR STATE COLLEGE STATION RALEIGH DISTRIBUTED IN FURTHERANCE OF THE ACTS OF CONGRESS OF MAY 8 AND JUNE 30, 1914
?2 V NT OME new F012 Vucmzy 011 15? FOR RURAL,7 F729;?" PPM 3%? 35 lpfv lf Don/ 1' SMOKE IN THE BARN 5 WRONG FUSE may Mm:- w F IRE 8. ' TAKE PRECAUTIONS ( mama MRS. enemy 's UNSUPPORTE'P STOVE PIPE o-w jaywaé M-ATCI-IES game Mb fi-mm Kmsasm: FIRES. I ONE PICTURE IS WORT-H A 1,000 AGRICULTURE COOPERATIVE EXTENSION WORK IN STATE OF AND NORTH HOME CAROLINA ECONOMICS WORDS NORTH CAROLINA) STATE COLLEGE U.S. DEPT OF AGRICULTURE AN COOPERATING EXT. AGR. ENGINEER RALEIGH NC. FIRE PREVENTION V N. c. No. 90 ISHEETI or I AUGI 942.