The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
NFU Mutual in move to fight combine fires
More than 80 combines insured by NFU Mutual went on fire during last year’s harvest – including eight which were valued at more than £100,000 each.
The soaring cost has led the farm insurer to offer discounted premiums to farmers who install fire suppression kits on their combines, either at point of purchase or retro-fitted – so long as they meet P-mark certification standards.
Tom Murray of NFU Mutual’s underwriting team said: “Combine fires put lives at risk, cause huge disruption to harvesting and destroy expensive machines.
“Tests have shown that fires can be reduced or prevented altogether by suppression systems. When an engine bay catches fire, it needs to be rapidly detected, effectively contained, and quickly extinguished.
“Suppression systems are also effective on fires involving solid combustibles, flammable liquids and electricity.”
NFU demonstrated the effectiveness of suppression kits by setting fire to a combine and putting a P-mark system to the test.
The kits involve dual agent systems which have two cylinders, one with powder and the other with a foam. The powder acts by interrupting the chemical reaction taking place and cutting off the oxygen supply. The foam suppressing agent in the second cylinder rapidly cools superhot surfaces of more than 200°C in larger engine bays which also hold turbo chargers and filters.
Bob Henderson, who leads NFU’S engineering team, said wider adoption of fire suppression systems could be a serious gamechanger for arable farming by helping protecting lives, property and the year’s harvest.
He added: “While insurance can cover the cost of a replacement, farmers still risk losing critical harvesting time during a tight weather window and huge difficulty hiring a combine when machines are in high demand.”
The insurer’s tips for preventing fires include cleaning out dust and chaff from hot spots in combines and balers and using a mobile compressor to regularly blow away debris.