Fields Fireman Quickly Extinguishes Fires

Nearly 40 young companies with innovations in 3D printing, agricultural software, artificial intelligence, data analysis, imagery analysis, blockchain, cloud services, data exchange, drone photography, microbial resources, and sensor technology shared their ideas for the first time at Agritechnica 2019 this year.

One of those products came from a Hungarian farmer who solves the perennial problem of combine and tractor fires, which cause millions in property losses each year and millions more in lost time and downed crops.

“According to Kondinin Group research, 7% of harvesters will likely start a fire this year and 10% of those will severely damage both machines and crops in a matter of minutes,” says Tamas Szeplaki. “Powder fire extinguishers are not suitable to stop these fires. And it can take up to 40 minutes for emergency response vehicles to get to a field.”

It is an issue Szeplaki has experienced firsthand on his 5,500-hectare farm.

Developed in 2014, Fields Fireman is a patented 650-liter tank that attaches to the front of a tractor. It comes equipped with a 20-meter-long hose. A 5-meter extension is also available. Powered by a tractor’s hydraulics, the system can shoot a 15-meter-long (about 50 feet) stream of water at high pressure for 16 minutes.

And its usefulness doesn’t stop there. Szeplaki says the system can also be used to balance the tractor with its extra front weight of 1,200 kilograms. In addition, it can be used to wash off dirt from a long day’s work before leaving the field.

While Szeplaki recommends the system be used with tractors over 120 hp, it is ideal for a 150-hp. or higher tractor. The Fields Fireman sells for 7,900 Euros (about $8,700).

Although the system is not yet available in the United States, Szeplaki says he hopes to find a partner to bring his innovation to American farmers in the near future.

Learn more at fieldsfireman.com.