Residents urged to remove roof snow

In the wake of another large barn collapse, state agencies Tuesday urged farmers and homeowners to check their roofs and clear them of snow and ice if possible. A partial collapse of one of the free-stall barns at the Rhoman-Wai Farm in Chester killed four of the farm’s 800-head herd Tuesday.

http://www.rutlandherald.com/article/20110209/NEWS03/702099843

Published February 9, 2011 in the Rutland Herald

Residents urged to remove roof snow

By SUSAN SMALLHEER
Staff Writer

MONTPELIER — In the wake of another large barn collapse, state agencies Tuesday urged farmers and homeowners to check their roofs and clear them of snow and ice if possible.

A total of 10 barns have collapsed in recent days, according to Kelly Loftus, a spokeswoman with the Agency of Agriculture, who said that number was probably higher.

“Today’s extra snow is adding to the concern over snow loads on roofs around Vermont,” Loftus said.

Loftus said of the 10 barn collapses reported to the agency, about half were on active farms and had been used to house animals. No one had been seriously injured in the barn collapses, she said, although some animals have been killed.

A partial collapse of one of the free-stall barns at the Rhoman-Wai Farm in Chester killed four of the farm’s 800-head herd Tuesday. Special crews from fire departments from Springfield, Hartford, Rutland and Brattleboro were called in to shore up the damaged barn at Rhoman-Wai so the animals could be rescued.

Last week, about a dozen calves were killed when a barn collapsed at a dairy farm in Putney.

And one heifer was killed in Londonderry Sunday morning, when a large free-stall barn at the Taylor Farm collapsed.

Loftus said so far there had been no reported roof collapses at homes, but state officials are still urging homeowners to be vigilant.

Loftus said some of the barns that collapsed were historic structures that could have been compromised structurally even before the heavy snows.

In Vermont, most barn roofs are designed to withstand 50 pounds per square foot of weight, but she said that included the weight of the roof itself, and not just snow and ice.

“We’re trying to get people to be proactive,” she said. Warmer temperatures Sunday and Monday have only added weight to the snow on roofs, she said.

She said the Agency of Agriculture had an engineer on staff to provide technical assistance for farmers who are building barns.

Newer buildings are being constructed with a steeper pitch or with special roofing that sheds the snow and ice more easily, she said.

The Agency of Agriculture, the Department of Public Safety, Division of Emergency Management and Fire Safety, and the Vermont Health Department urged homeowners to monitor their roofs and clear off snow if it could be done safely.

“Farms have lost livestock to the barn collapses,” said Deputy Agriculture Secretary Diane Bothfeld in a prepared release.

While there has been no loss of life, farm workers could easily be injured in any collapse, she noted.

The state agencies urged that only able-bodied adults remove the snow from roofs, since roofs and other surfaces are slippery. People should plan an escape route before starting to remove snow and make sure safety is their priority.

The state agencies urged that people should work in pairs when clearing snow from a roof and to avoid working from ladders, as surfaces tend to ice up and can be slippery.

For more information about the current snow pack, see www.erh.noaa.gov/btv/html/snow.shtml.

For more information about safely clearing your roof, see www.vermontagriculture.com. or www.vtfiresafety.org.