Equipment Fire Safety

Equipment caused Carter's Bridge fire May 1988, Burnett County

Equipment / Spark Arresters

Various types of equipment and machinery caused fires account for a large portion of fires each year in Wisconsin.

These causes could include hot carbon expelled from exhaust systems, malfunctioning or no spark arresters, sparks from road grading, mowing or disking operations, dragging chains or other material, to electrical or mechanical breakdowns of various vehicles or equipment in or near a setting.

Here are a few tips to help prevent equipment caused fires:

1. Ensure that all equipment that operates outside is equipped with a functioning spark arrester.
2. Ensure that any hauled material is loaded securely and will not rub on tires, moving parts or the ground.
3. Delay any mowing operations in the spring until the grass is in full green up.
4. All vehicles should be equipped with a fire extinguisher.
5. Try to time any machinery work such that it is not done in the afternoon hours when the fire danger is the highest.
6. Perform preventative maintenance checks routinely on all machinery and equipment to ensure that they are functioning properly.

Electric Fencers Fire Safety

Electric fencers are another common cause of fires where they are used. There are currently two types of electric fence controllers on the market: "continuous current" and those that send a pulse of current through the fence wire. Electric fencers that are continuous current (often marketed as "weed burners") DO NOT have the Underwriters Laboratories Inc. approval and can cause wildfires as the amount and duration of electrical charge going through the wire can heat up vegetation in contact with the wire to the ignition point. When this occurs the vegetation can spontaneously combust and cause a wildfire.

The UL seal of approval means that the controller limits the duration of the electrical charge thereby allowing any vegetation in contact with the wire to cool before the next charge goes through the line.

By state statute, it is unlawful to use or operate any electric fence controller that does not bear the Underwriters Laboratory Seal of Approval.

Follow these guidelines to help prevent fires caused electric fencers:

• Ensure that your fencer is UL approved.
• Ensure that fence wire is up out of vegetation as much as possible.
• Turn fencer off when not needed.

UL approved fencers limit the duration of the electrical charge to less than 1/10th of a second. Thereby limiting any heating of vegetation that is in contact with the wire and greatly reducing the possibility of starting a fire.		With electric fencers which are continuous current (as shown) or are not UL approved, the current in the fence wire or the longer duration of the electrical charge can heat any vegetation in contact with the wire to the point that spontaneous combustion occurs.

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