Fire safety option gives farmer peace of mind | General | farmweeknow.com

Andrew Newberg, who farms with his family in DeWitt County, took action this fall, amid concerns the dry conditions in central Illinois, to decrease the danger of any potential combine or field fires spreading on the family's farmland.

“I had a rash of fires with one particular machine a few years ago,” said the fifth-generation farmer.

Newberg replaced that combine. And, when he bought a new grain cart this year, he opted for a safety feature.

The fire safety option is a grain cart kit that holds 250 gallons of water and has a retractable hose. It will help supplement his other safety practices. Newberg’s grain cart is a Brent model, but other manufacturers offer similar safety options.

In the case of a small fire, the kit would help him put it out or control it until the fire department arrives.

Luckily, he hasn’t had to use the fire kit this season, but he tested it last week. “It worked,” said Newberg, a GROWMARK employee.

Attention to fire prevention remains high in Illinois as the U.S. Drought Monitor shows 71.8 % of Illinois is abnormally dry with another 20% in moderate drought.

A fire safety kit, a white tank for water with a retractable hose, is an option Andrew Newberg, a farmer and GROWMARK employee, wanted on his new grain cart. This year with such dry weather, there have been many combine and field fires across the state. If that happens to him in DeWitt County where he farms with his family, he will be ready. (Photo courtesy of Andrew Newberg)

Newberg also carries a fire extinguisher and follows other fire safety precautions including regular maintenance of equipment and blowing debris from the combine at the end of the day.

The DeWitt County Farm Bureau member said peace of mind is worth the cost of the grain cart option. What he paid for the kit is about half the cost of his insurance deductible if he were to have a fire, he added.