The US National Grain and Feed Association (NGFA) released a new guide for operators of grain handling facilities and firefighters to develop grain handling facility firefighting procedures.
Contents of the NGFA Firefighting Manual: A Guide for Operators of Grain Handling Facilities and Fire Department Officials are primarily intended to address planning for and fighting fires in grain elevators. However, the information has significant applications for feed mills, processing plants, flour mills and other facilities that store and handle bulk agricultural commodities. Chemical fires, which have applications for fertilizer and chemical plants, also are addressed in the guide.
“Each grain handling facility is unique in its layout, design, construction, operations, equipment, and personnel, and requires a tailored firefighting plan,” said NGFA director, Training, Safety and Education, Jim Seibert. “The firefighting plan should be a mutual effort between the facility’s management and the fire officials of the district in which it is located. It would benefit both facility management and fire officials to read and be familiar with the contents of this entire manual, since the information conveyed in each chapter affects both parties.”
The publication of the firefighting manual, which had not been updated since 1987, is part of the Association’s 125th-anniversary celebration of “Transforming America’s Harvest.” Throughout the year, NGFA is focused on projects that contribute to creating a culture of safety in every facility and farm where grain is handled to potentially save lives that are tragically lost in grain-related incidents every year.
The guide is free for members of the NGFA and can be accessed here. This new firefighting manual complements a robust suite of safety training materials available at ngfa.org/safety.
