HARRISBURG, S.D. (KELO) — Starting Thursday, Lincoln County will be sending more crews to respond to fires that break out in dry farm fields.
The fall harvest has been made all the more challenging because of warm and windy conditions. That has both farmers and firefighters taking more precautions.
Giant combines practically disappear in a cloud of dust in the dry bean fields west of Harrisburg. It’s almost like driving a car in a wintry blizzard.
“When you’re looking down, it’s almost impossible to see the head on the beans,” Harrisburg farmer Jayme Adrian said.
Despite the poor visibility, combine operators have to be on alert for any rocks that are lying underneath.
“And the sickle blades are moving so fast, they hit a rock, it will throw a spark, which in turn, it might not do anything, but it can sit on the ground and smolder,” Adrian said.
Chaff blown about by the wind can also be a threat to farm equipment.
“Even if a bearing goes bad and there’s a little chaff around it, it will start that combine on fire. We’ve had a couple fires already this year,” Lincoln County Emergency Manager Harold Timmerman said.
Starting now, Lincoln County will be dispatching more firefighting help to the scene of a field fire. Instead of sending just the closest fire department to the scene, they’re going to be sending the closest three fire departments.
“It’ll make a huge difference because in that turn, with everybody coming, you’re going to be able to attack it from different sides and be able to get in there,” Adrian said.
Adrian, who’s also a member of the Harrisburg Volunteer Fire Department, says it’s much easier to turn around a fire crew that’s not needed, instead of not having enough personnel on hand to contain a rapidly burning fire that’s threatening farm equipment and the fall harvest.
The Harrisburg Fire Department is also asking area farmers to have tillage equipment hooked up and a water tanker available in case more help is needed in fighting field fires.
