Fall Means Fire Prevention

Barn fires- a horse owner's nightmare. Fall is upon us, (shoot, WINTER in some spots already,) and there are more horses spending more time in away from inclement weather. I'm going to take a break from hooves for today, and draw on my background as a rural fire fighter and EMT, to share some tips and hints on fire prevention. This is from an article I wrote a couple years ago.

Fall is a time when many changes take place. The days become shorter, horses begin growing wonderful woolly coats for the coming winter months, hay is safely stacked in barns, and preparations for the long winter months become a priority. Among other changes, we set our clocks back one hour, and we are reminded to change the batteries in our smoke detectors. While we worry about our homes, often times our barns are overlooked.

Many of us are tidy by nature and tend to keep our barns clutter free. That’s a great start, but here are a few additional areas to keep in mind for that yearly fall clean up. Cobwebs are not only an eyesore, they ignite very rapidly and burn very hot. They have a tendency to drift down and land on the backs of stabled horses, causing burns that range from relatively minor to extremely severe. The burning webs that drift down and miss landing on your horse will land in his stall- in shavings or straw, or their hay. This will ignite, and create another avenue for spreading flames. Cobwebs also tend to hold onto the chaff from hay, also a highly combustible material. Hay itself can create problems. If it has been cured and baled improperly, spontaneous combustion can and often does occur. Check your hay before you stack it in your loft. Better yet, have your hay stored in a separate building. With the continuing drought situation, many horse owners have been forced to buy hay from other states, and people that they do not know. Until you can test the bales, please check your loft frequently for unusual hot spots, and “wrong” feeling bales. Please note: hay that is grown in northern states with lower relative humidity can become a problem once it hits the south with higher humidity. It will “breathe”, and more moisture may come to the surface. This moisture will create not only mold, but it creates heat. The heat causes combustion, which in turn causes disaster.

Many of us have fire extinguishers in our homes. Many also have them in our barns. A few quick facts about fire extinguishers to keep in mind:
Once a month, please turn the extinguisher upside down, and tap the bottom. With a dry chemical extinguisher, this will bring, or stir, the contents through the entire container. The longer an extinguisher sits in one position, the more material will settle to the bottom. When you go to use the extinguisher in a time of crisis, the initial discharge will be a blast of straight air- something you do NOT want to feed to that fire! Also, check the dates on your extinguishers, and have them filled. If you have doubts or questions, often times firemen are more than happy to provide you with demonstrations on how to properly use them, what to look for, and how to make sure your extinguisher is full and safe to use.
Something of VITAL importance to PLEASE bear in mind- that extinguisher is meant to GET YOU OUT. Your large extinguishers are only good for approximately 30 to 45 seconds- just long enough to get you OUT of a hazardous situation. They are not meant to put the entire fire out. They are meant to save your life.

While you are visiting with your local fire department to learn the proper way to use your extinguisher, it may prove prudent to invite them out to your facility for a tour. (Many departments call this a "Pre-Plan" and keep them in a book in the engines. Sometimes the facility is large enough to warrant an "Automatic Mutual Aid Call" for assistance) Be sure to show them where halters and leads will be located, (on stall doors please,) where paddocks are for turning the horses out, any unseen hazards that might be a problem in the middle of an emergency. Many old converted dairy barns have manure pits. While these pits may have been covered over and safe for equine weight, parking a large piece of fire fighting apparatus on top of one could lead to an additional disaster. Show them all the exits, and make sure those exits are kept clean and clear at ALL times. Show them the hay storage area, and feed and tack storage as well. I am sorry to say that getting your show tack out of the barn is not going to be a priority, but we do not want to chance a fire fighter getting lost in there either in the event of an emergency. Provide them with a map of the barn and paddocks. Take them to possible water sources- many barns are no where near hydrants, and fire fighters must rely on an outside water source, such as ponds and deep flowing water.

Smoke alarms are also found in our homes. We dutifully change the batteries twice a year, at each time change. Mounting alarms in your barn and changing the batteries is also a great way to be alerted to a possible situation. If you are worried that you will not be able to hear an alarm going off, there are some fantastic baby monitors on the market today that have a good range. Place the transmitter in your barn, and have the receiver in your home. There are also many remote monitoring systems available today that are well worth investigating, and investing in. Having the alarms hard wired into your barn is also a fantastic idea if you are building a new barn.

The biggest killer in fire situations is not the fire itself- it is smoke. I have (unfortunately) seen horses and cattle that were removed from a burning structure after a “relatively” short time frame with no visible external wounds. However, often times they have been exposed to enough smoke that within 2 or 3 days of the event they have to be put down due to extreme damage to their lungs. Smoke inhalation is extremely dangerous. Having affected horses examined by your veterinarian immediately can make all the difference in the world.

Just like in hotels and public gathering places, have an exit plan in place and posted for all to see. Hang halters and leads where they can be easily accessed. Invite your local fire department out once a year for a walk through. Having someone on site to look everything over is a very valuable resource- those trained eyes may spot something seemingly small that could turn into a disaster. Clean cobwebs out as quickly as possible. Ban clutter, dust, garbage, and piles of discarded hay. Thump your extinguishers and have them checked on a routine basis, while keeping in mind they are meant to save your life, not save the structure.

Work together with area horse folks- have a list of people to call in case of emergency. Many hands in a situation such as a barn fire make for a safer place for the horses. Have a list of people with trailers, places to take the horses, your vets number, and a back up vet listed just in case. Have that list available and on hand, and with several other people in the area. Delegate someone to make phone calls and round up the troops. Tour each others barns and become familiar with the lay out, in case it is them that needs you. Keep in mind that fire scenes are controlled chaos, and there will be a tremendous amount of activity. The horses will need to be moved as far away from the chaos as possible, and chances are they will have to be hand walked to an “odd” area to be loaded for transport. The majority of the time, it will be dark, and where you will load them will be dark. The horses will be confused, and may be injured. Many times animals will run back into a burning building during the excitement and confusion. They become frightened and try to return to the "Safety" of their stalls. Have a staging area planned in advance, where they can get immediate medical attention.

And finally, the most difficult part. Bear in mind that when a structure goes up, it happens extremely fast. What might seem to be a small fire can turn into a fully involved fire in mere seconds. About the time that small fire hits your stash of bagged shavings (also highly flammable,) you will be amazed at how fast it will spread. Please, wait for the fire fighters to get there, and let them get the animals out. We will do everything humanly possible to get as many out alive as they can- but lets face it. Human life must come first. If you go dashing into the fire to save your animals, they will have to go into the fire to save you- not the horses. Fire is nothing to play around with- it’s a dark, hot, savage beast that can and will turn on you in an instant. Please, please do not grab your handy extinguisher and think you are going to run in and save the horses. If you have stall doors that open to the outside of the barn, by all means open them and try to encourage the horses out that way. I can not stress this enough- going into a burning structure after an animal is not a good idea if you are not trained and wearing the proper equipment. The chance of you dying or becoming gravely injured is very high. And if something happens to YOU, who is going to care for those horses?





Photos from a web search.