In the first half of 2026, Fireward’s automatic fire suppression systems put out 26 plant and machinery fires, protecting equipment valued at £8.57 million.
But that headline figure doesn’t tell the whole story.
In reality, those businesses saved far more than £8.57 million. When you factor in the financial costs of a fire, from buying replacement machinery to lost productivity and reputational damage, the true cost of a mobile plant or static machinery fire can run to many times the value of the machine itself.
In this article, we look at what a fire really costs a business and how you can protect your livelihood.
The Direct Financial Costs of Fires
Some fire-related costs are immediate and obvious. These are the costs your business must confront first.
Replacing the Asset
A replacement machine is the first cost that comes to mind, but even experienced operators can underestimate it. Even with adequate insurance, the settlement is unlikely to cover a like-for-like replacement.
Short-Term Hire Costs
Replacing vehicles and machinery takes time. If the asset you lose to fire is vital for day-to-day operations, the only way to keep the business running is to hire a temporary replacement.
Short-term hire of specialist machinery doesn't come cheap. Depending on the lead time of your replacement equipment, you may need to rent it for months.
Insurance Increases and Excesses
Your insurer is likely to make you pay twice in the event of a fire: once when you pay your excess, and again at renewal. Underwriters watch losses from fire closely, and a claim history involving a machinery fire can follow your business and increase your premiums for years.
Fortunately, it works the other way, too. NFU Mutual offers premium discounts of up to 15% when you fit approved fire suppression systems on combine harvesters.
The Indirect and Hidden Costs of Fires
Other costs are easier to overlook and can vary significantly from business to business.
Lost Productivity
Even if you can buy a replacement machine and secure a short-term hire to cover the lead time, a fire can still bring business to a halt as you take safety precautions and cordon off parts of your site.
Your overheads don’t stop, however. Staff still need paying, bills still need settling, contracts need servicing. The longer the wait for replacement equipment or an insurer's visit, the longer that loss of earnings continues.
Environmental Clean-up and Regulatory Costs
A machinery fire on a farm or a waste management site may not remain a machinery fire for long. Burning material produces smoke, contaminated run-off and firewater, all of which have to be contained, tested and disposed of properly. The clean-up cost may fall on your business, along with potential regulatory fines.
Damaged Customer Relationships
If your contracts include service levels, a fire-related disruption may create issues. Whether a client walks away or is simply forced to find another supplier while you're down, there’s no guarantee they’ll return.
How Are You Protecting Your Business?
These costs demonstrate the importance of protecting your machinery with an effective fire suppression system. Rapid detection and suppression can be the difference between a minor, contained incident and a total loss.
That’s why farms, industrial operations, waste and recycling centres and many more industries trust Fireward’s market-leading automatic fire suppression systems to protect the equipment that powers their businesses.
Our pneumatic detection systems detect fires at their earliest stages using pressurised tubes that run through your asset’s most hazardous areas.
When exposed to heat or flames exceeding 180°C, the tubing ruptures at the point of ignition. The pressure drops instantly, opening the cylinder valve and discharging the suppression agent. Strategically placed discharge nozzles ensure full coverage of at-risk areas to completely suppress the fire.
Because no electrical power or human intervention is necessary, our systems run 24/7, regardless of whether the machine is running or parked overnight. It also means systems can easily be retrofitted to any asset, whether it’s a combine harvester or a landfill compactor.
Trust Fireward to Protect Your Business
As the leading provider of automatic fire suppression systems for vehicles, machinery and other specialist assets, we’ve carried out more than 10,000 installations across the UK.
When you choose Fireward, you get:
- Round-the-clock protection. Our systems operate autonomously 24/7 without power or operator intervention.
- Ultra-fast detection and activation. Our systems are among the fastest-acting on the market, responding in seconds to keep your assets safe.
- Nationwide installation and servicing. We have engineers across the UK who can install and service systems with minimal disruption to your operations.
- Three-year parts and labour warranty. All heavy plant and machinery systems come with a three-year warranty as standard and are backed by a six- to twelve-month servicing programme to keep them operating at peak performance.
- Full accreditation. Our systems are third-party certified to P-Mark SPCR 183, P-Mark SPCR 199 and AS-5062:2016, with additional clean agent accreditations to UL 2166 and LPS 1666 for electrical control unit or cabinet protection.
Protecting People and Assets 24/7
To find out more about Fireward’s Automatic Fire Suppression systems, get in touch by calling 0800 151 0249 or email at: sales@fireward.co.uk.
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