ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA, US — The National Grain and Feed Association (NGFA) has produced a new firefighting manual for grain facilities.

The NGFA Firefighting Manual: A Guide for Operators of Grain Handling Facilities and Fire Department Officials is a guide to help operators of grain handling facilities and firefighters to develop grain handling facility firefighting procedures.

The manual also may be applied to 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 Jim Seibert, director, training, safety and education for the NGFA. “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 new guide is part of NGFA’s 125^th anniversary initiatives and celebration of “Transforming America’s Harvest.” Throughout the year, the 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 lost in grain-related incidents every year.