Farmer’s fire experience holds lessons for all
A blaze on David Clark’s farm underlined how preparation and planning can prevent unnecessary loss.
The arable farmer and Mid Canterbury Federated Farmers Provincial President was alerted by neighbours on Saturday morning March 6 about smoke coming from his farm. A hedge on the roadside was ablaze with the wind blowing directly towards a staff member’s family home.
At harvest time, David and his staff place a 2000-litre water tanker in the paddock they’re working in. That Saturday morning the tanker was quickly grabbed but the key first response was alerting others. David called his wife and his father, who contacted the fire brigade and their neighbours.
‘‘It is vital to increase the size of your circle as fast as you can,’’ David says. By having others widen that circle, David was able to focus on fighting the fire.
By the time they arrived with the tanker, the fire had moved in through the hedgerow to a yard area and quickly spread into a shed. They were able to remove a piece of machinery as well as a staff member’s vehicle. The neighbours responded quickly and showed up with their own tankers to help the team hold the fire.
‘‘Between the three tankers we were able to hold the blaze 10ft from the corner of the garage and woodshed of the house for 25 minutes until the fire brigade arrived.’’
‘‘A 22-hectare paddock of barley that wrapped around two sides of the house had caught fire… we were able to make a fire break with machinery within the barley and limited the loss of the barley to one hectare,’’ David says.
With the great communication between
neighbours and the water tanker on-farm, the fire was prevented from becoming a major loss event. Their efforts allowed time for the family move precious items from the home.
A total of eight fire engines showed up and fought the blaze for three hours. With irrigation on-farm and a take-off valve that can be plugged into any hydrant on the farm, they were able to provide all engines with water continuously.
While David, his family and staff had a whole lot of luck that morning, it was the preparation that really made the difference. What ignited the fire is still uncertain, however the suspected cause was a short in an undergate cable of a gateway next to some trees.
‘‘The source of ignition can be something so innocent and so random. It was something that could happen on any farm anywhere in New Zealand today,’’
David says.
His advice to farmers from this experience is have that water tanker and pump, reach out to your neighbours and be a good neighbour yourself as well as knowing where your water source is and making sure fire engines have clear access.
Being prepared is not hard, it’s not expensive and it could – as David’s experience shows - prevent a family’s home burning down or save key farm assets.