There's a lot of ways that wildfires can happen. Discarded cigarettes from vehicles, out of control campfires, and equipment can all trigger out of control disasters. I was surprised today to learn that improperly hooking up your safety chains is a big cause of wildfires. How could this make a difference? Let me explain.

There are multiple reasons you should cross your trailer's safety chains.

Safety chains are on trailers as a back up measure if your trailer hitch comes loose from the ball. I've actually experienced a trailer popping off of a ball before and without those safety chains I would have lost the boat. When you cross those chains, if the tongue comes off the ball it will rest on those crossed chains instead of digging into the ground.

Dragging chains cause fires.

When you don't cross the trailer safety chains, the chains have more slack and sometimes drag on the road creating miles and miles of sparks. In dry seasons or early spring before things green up, this can cause wildfires and has in the past. The Wisconsin DNR says that equipment fires are the second leading cause of wildfires in the state.

Chainsaws, ATVS, and yard equipment can cause fires too.

Lots of these machines can get hot enough or create sparks that can cause wildfires. It's suggested that you run these in the early morning hours or later in the evening when winds are generally calmer.

Fortunately we've received some rain lately in the Northland and dangers have been a bit lower. However we have record setting heat this weekend that's going to dry things up quick. To stay up today on fire restrictions in Wisconsin, you can visit their website. In Minnesota the DNR keeps you up to date on this as well.

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