North Perth Fire Department burns an Ontario barn for research

Nov 06, 2017

Companies also attended to demonstrate new technologies

By Diego Flammini
News Reporter
Farms.com

The North Perth Fire Department burned down a dairy barn near Listowel, Ont. on Friday – all in the name of prevention and detection.

A number of companies attended the controlled burn to demonstrate products. Some were designed to slow down a blaze while others could relay video footage of the fire to the first responders before they arrive on scene.

And the entrepreneurs were able to leave the scene with all of the information they needed to continue developing their products, according to Jason Benn, Assistant Fire Chief with the North Perth Fire Department.

Thanks to everyone for their participation in today's burn. It was very informative and a huge success! pic.twitter.com/V3PnvTvAm2
— North Perth Fire (@NorthPerthFire) November 3, 2017

“Everything went according to plan,” Benn told Farms.com today. “A lot of people were able to obtain the necessary data and information they wanted to get out of this demonstration. There were security companies here with heat detectors and we had an extinguishing company here testing its products too.”

The more tools available to firefighters, the better chance they have of saving the building or the crops, livestock and equipment that may be housed inside, Benn added.

Cash cropper Dell Cressman donated the old barn to the fire department.

A number of his neighbours came over to watch the demonstration. They were impressed by the fire’s power.

“Everybody was just watching the fire for the experience of it,” Cressman told Farms.com today. “You could see the flames and how they completely consumed the inside of the barn. You could feel the heat building up and then (the barn) opened up and flames started shooting out.”

Of all the products tested during the demonstration, one in particular stood out, Cressman said.

“The barn had a little milk house attached to it,” he said. “(The company) put a fire-retardant in there. When the temperature reached a certain point, the product was released.

“I heard the product go off and it took a long time for the milk house to burn.”

Top photo: North Perth Fire Department

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