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In Ontario, 39 farmers were injured trying to save their animals.

“There are numerous media interviews with farmers, their neighbours, members of their communities and firefighters that (recount) the screams and cries they heard from cows or pigs trapped inside burning buildings,” the report says. “The screams can last for hours.”

The economic loss is estimated to be at least $165 million.

Topan said changes are needed to Canada’s national building code, now being revised by the National Research Council. A new code is expected later this year.

“We should see a distinction between different types of property,” Topan said. “Buildings that house animals should be treated separately from buildings that house objects.”

Sprinkler systems, on-site water storage and heat and smoke detection should all be considered, she said.

The society also endorses recommendations from the Ontario government, which include isolating electrical equipment — the cause of more than half of barn fires — from the rest of the structure.

Farmers recognize fires are a problem, said Gary Stordy of the Canadian Pork Council.

“It is a concern. It is the livelihood of the producer and it also impacts mental health.”

Stordy warns that solutions developed in cities may not work on farms. Sprinklers or pumps, for example, are useless if the power they depend on is gone.

“That’s usually the first thing to be shut off,” Stordy said.

“(Sprinklers) are something that’s been looked into, but it has to be a practical investment.”

Stordy added that fire suppression systems still wouldn’t help farmers manage several hundred frightened and possibly injured animals, at various stages of growth, whose first instinct would be to head back into a burning barn.

The council emphasizes regular inspection and maintenance of electrical equipment or periodic surveys for hot spots.

“Prevention is the ideal key.”

The national building code is revised every five years. Its implementation is up to the provinces.

The National Research Council’s time period for public comment on changes to the code closes at the end of this week.