Shockingly, farm fires are on the increase in the UK agriculture industry. In a recent article from Farmers Weekly, Fire Service Chiefs suggest that “1,700 farm buildings and more than 25,000ha of grassland are destroyed by fire every year in the UK. Half are started deliberately - with some 40% of businesses that suffer arson attacks never trading successfully again.”
Farm Fires in the UK
NFU Mutual are urging farmers to check their fire prevention and evacuation practices, to help protect their livestock, staff and businesses. This comes after they released statistics claiming that the cost of agricultural fires has risen by a shocking 26%.
The cost of these fires now stands at approximately £44 million as of 2016.
"Farm fires are one of the greatest hazards to the lives of farmers, workers and livestock,” said Tim Price, NFU Mutual Rural Affairs Specialist.
“As the UK’s leading farm insurer we know that people in the countryside are concerned by longer fire service response times in very rural locations. Government statistics worryingly show that the response times in significantly rural areas is on the increase.”
The most common cause of farm fires is electrical and arson is a close second. Farms in the UK are particularly vulnerable to deliberate fire setting activity. Their isolated location, open boundaries, readily ignitable materials such as hay and straw stacks make them an easy target.
Video Fire Detection Technology
So how can farmers overcome this challenge for their businesses? How can they protect their staff, livestock and livelihoods?
NFU Mutual recommends: “You can prevent fires by making fire safety a part of your business plan.”
Here at Ciqurix we are working with a farm, who suffered a devastating fire in October 2018, to make sure this never happens again.The farms sheds, feed, machinery and work shop were all destroyed. Thankfully no animals were injured but the continued impact of such a fire almost a year on is clear to see.
Our FCam™ Series packages a traditional IP security camera with ground-breaking new video fire detection technology.
For most of the time the FCam™ Series acts as a normal network surveillance camera – working as an anti-arson security system.
But if a fire should break out, the FCam™ Series detects and reports fires within seconds, slashing emergency response times and increasing the safety of people and property on your site. The FCamX can detect flame both outdoors and indoors at up to 180 metres, in all environments, weather conditions and light levels, including complete darkness, making previously unprotectable areas safe and secure – a feature that is necessary for isolated locations like farms.
Just a few weeks ago in June, an arson attack took place at Norfolk farm with a large straw stack set ablaze – the second attack in a matter of months.
The Farmer said: "It is just mindless and pointless. What is really worrying is the potential for loss of lives and livelihoods. We were very lucky. Another time, with the house and the buildings and the livestock we could have had a real disaster on our hands.”
We have made it our mission here at Ciqurix to make fires like these a thing of the past. We believe that with our technology there is no reason for people to lose their businesses, assets of life due to fire again.
Don’t let your farm become a statistic.
For more information on our FCam™ Series please click here or get in touch with one of the team.