Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue have teamed up with the Beds Police Rural Crime Team to ensure fire safety across the agricultural community.
The Kempston Green Watch fire team have produced guidance and advice to the rural community on reducing the risk of fire.
The document focuses on deliberate and accidental fire and will be distributed by the Beds fire and police services.
PC Grant Hayes, from the Bedfordshire Police Rural Crime Team, said: “Bedfordshire Police and the Fire and Rescue Service work hand in hand to protect our rural communities.
“Together, with support from the Kempston Green Watch, we are able to help and prevent fires which threaten the safety and livelihoods of our residents.
“Partnership approach is so important in dealing with the issues which plight our rural communities, and we are looking forward to working with the watch in the future.”
Watch Manager for Kempston Green Watch, Jamie Martin, said: “With over 900 agricultural properties within Bedfordshire, the crew felt this was a valuable project and spent time gathering figures from our own incident recording and statistics produced by the National Farmers Union (NFU).”
The number of fires involving agricultural property and equipment rises during the autumn.
Jamie said: “We know from incidents in the past that in addition to the loss of income that fire poses to the farming community there is also the loss of vital equipment that often can’t be replaced in time for when it is needed.”
The watch hopes the prevention advice will protect local farmers and their livelihoods.
This project is supported by Bedfordia Farms Group.
The document can be found here.
