Chatterton & Cooke Protect John Deere X9 Combine with Fireward Fire Suppression System
With harvest season approaching, Chatterton & Cooke have equipped their new John Deere X9 combine harvester with a Fireward dual agent automatic fire suppression system, strengthening their commitment to safety, uptime, and operational resilience.
Farm Manager Mick Baker sees fire protection as an essential step, not an optional extra.
“I think they should come out with them, to be honest. Most machines need them.”
Mick’s reasoning isn’t just precaution, it’s practical.
“In this day and age, you need to cover yourself. Downtime as well is precious now. We don't get much of a window for harvest. If your combine goes up on fire, it's losing money.”
Mick knows the risks personally when asked if he'd ever been involved in a fire:
“A tractor, years ago. I was probably about 19. By the time I got out of the cab, that was it. Too late.”
With fires capable of spreading in seconds and high-value equipment at stake, having a suppression system in place has never been more critical.
“These suppressors are the way to go,” Mick added, based on his past experience.
According to the latest numbers released by NFU Mutual, UK farm fires rose by 21% in 2023, with combine harvester fires doubling to 258 incidents. That alone accounted for £7.4 million in insurance claims last year.
These figures from NFU Mutual highlight the growing financial burden of agricultural machinery fires:
Agricultural vehicle and machinery fire claims totalled £37.7 million in 2023
Combines accounted for £7.4 million (down from £11.1m in 2022)
Tractor fire claims rose to £20.4 million (up from £14.7m in 2022)
Other machinery, such as balers and telehandlers, made up a further £9.9 million in claims
These figures aren’t theoretical—they reflect real losses, downtime, and operational disruption for farms across the UK.
The dual agent fire suppression system fitted to the John Deere X9 offers the best of both worlds:
Dry Powder – Rapidly extinguishes flames in seconds
Wet Chemical – Cools hot surfaces and helps prevent re-ignition
Fireward’s fully-automatic system activates without any input from the operator, ideal when seconds matter. With in-cab alerts, and built-in battery isolators, it provides multi-layer protection for both the machine and the operator.
Fire Protection Beyond Combines
As Caroline Wilson, Fireward’s National Sales Manager for Agriculture, pointed out:
“It's not just the combines that we can protect. We can also cover tractors, telehandlers, balers… There’s actually quite a lot of the farm components that we can protect with our suppression systems.”
And given that tractors accounted for over £20 million in fire claims last year, the need to protect the full range of agricultural machinery is more urgent than ever.
Protect your machinery, your harvest, and your team with Fireward.
Our agricultural fire suppression systems are trusted across the UK to reduce downtime, protect assets, and prevent major losses.
Fireward, 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