If a fire breaks out on-farm, fire services may need to access water supplies nearby. Find out how you can help.

Many farms will have water stored in bowsers and water tanks but using these supplies to fill up fire engines which have exhausted on-board supplies is not straightforward.

The outlet fittings on bowsers and farm water tanks are often not compatible with the inlet fittings on fire engines. Fire engine inlets are commonly 70mm standard instantaneous couplings, but farm bowsers use very different 2 inch cam lock couplings.

Rhonda Thompson, NFU Lincolnshire county adviser, has worked with the Louth Fire Service and Lincolnshire Fire Services to overcome this problem, with trials of a connector coupling planned to take place in the Louth area by the Fire Service with members from the Louth and Alford branches.

One very practical solution which can help make water available to the fire service in an emergency is for farmers to have equipment to hand to make an improvised dam. This can be used to collect water discharged from a bowser or tank for a fire engine to then draw on.

Fire engines are likely to carry ladders and tarpaulins but it could be very useful and a life saver for farmers to have additional equipment to hand just in case.

You can make an improvised dam from three sections of ladder, a tarpaulin and rope as follows. Alternatively, bales could be used to construct a structure to support a tarpaulin.

Step 1: Lay the ladders on their sides, interlinked in a triangular formation.

Step 2: Lash the sections of ladder together.

Step 3: Place a tarpaulin (referred to as a salvage sheet by the fire service) over the ladders and lash taut.

Step 4: Fill with water. You can make the structure more effective by raising the ladders off the ground.

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