A field accident that occurred on Sept. 1, 2020, in the Outram area, to a point, changed Gracie LeBlanc's perception of fire safety.聽聽
That day she was helping her family with harvest, running a combine and doing a job that she's known since her early years, when in a matter of a few minutes everything changed. 聽
"It was really windy that day," recalled LeBlanc. "We were combining like normal, and I was dumping grain into the grain cart. And a hired man started seeing ashes and a little bit of smoke in the field, so they told me to stop, because (the track of ashes and little fires) was following me."聽
While LeBlanc was focused on keeping the operation going and keeping the combine straight, not to miss the cart, the fact that others were keeping an eye out on the situation for her potentially saved her life. Over the radio, others who were working at the field confirmed that she should shut off the combine and get out of it. She instantly stopped, got out and grabbed the fire extinguisher. 聽
"I knew to grab the fire extinguisher because it was common sense, just grab the fire extinguisher and go check. And everyone else got out and tried to help me with theirs." 聽
The combine was already on fire. LeBlanc tried using the fire extinguisher, but it didn't do much for the machine. In a matter of minutes, it was obvious that the combine was a total loss, but with the winds up, it was everybody's job to prevent the fire from spreading over to crops still standing in this and other neighbouring fields. 聽
"Within about five minutes we had people call, and pretty much all our neighbours came with water trucks and sprayers and discs and everything to help keep the fire under control and put it out," LeBlanc said. 聽
The Estevan Fire Rescue Service made it out to the scene as fast as they could. The joint effort allowed for a successful operation, and fortunately this time no one was hurt. But for LeBlanc this experience showed the value of safety and especially fire safety when it comes to operating farm equipment. 聽
"We always blow off the combines, get all the dust and straw to minimize the risk. Having fire extinguishers on the combines or with everyone is also good. And basically, just know the machine you are running and know what can happen and the potential risks," LeBlanc advised.聽
It's hard to say how the situation would end up if another farmer was in the combine instead of LeBlanc, but she assumed that the outcomes could have been way worse if they would have tried saving any parts of the machine. So her experience once again reassured her that safety comes first.聽聽聽
"The main thing is to be safe. Just get out of there. Stuff happens, just let it go. You can replace equipment, but you can't replace a life," LeBlanc said. 聽
The investigation suggested that it was a mechanical failure that caused the fire. It was assumed that the hydraulic steering line broke and hot oil was spraying over other heated parts, which started on fire and spread over to the rest of the combine.聽
After the accident, Gracie's father Jason LeBlanc noted that in less than 30 seconds from when his hired hand, Jake Fast, spotted the first little bit of smoke in the field, the combine was destroyed. As soon as they noticed the flames, they told Gracie to get out of the machine, and it was the instant reaction that saved her from 小蓝视频 injured. 聽
Gracie said that now they dedicate more time to safety. 聽
"We talk about it a lot more now, so we all know how to use fire extinguishers and that they are there for a reason. 聽
"But (if something is to happen) definitely get out, look it over. Even if it's not anything major, just get out, because you can replace the machine, but you can't replace the life."聽
