Lead With Your Heart, LLC
"Achieving Balance With All Species Through Love"
Gimenez explained that for a fire to start there needs to be an ignition source, oxygen, and fuel. She emphasized that a fire doubles in size every minute, so in 10 minutes it might be 1,024-4,680 times the original size! As heat rises into the barn rafters, the ceiling will superheat if the structure lacks ventilation for escape of heat. Hay and other combustibles (such as the rafters) often located high in the barn are likely to ignite. Common barn construction materials of wood increase the hazard of unstoppable fires. Ideally, a barn is constructed of masonry or cinder blocks, with metal, or tile roofing, all electrical lines are sheathed in conduit, flooring is sand or other noncombustible materials, and all wood surfaces are painted with flame-retardant paint. Areas of the barn should be compartmentalized to prevent or delay spread of the fire. Post "No Smoking" signs around the barn and enforce the rule. Mitigation should include a careful look at the "anatomy" of a horse facility, asking the following questions: What is the evacuation plan for every horse and person from the facility? Know the turnover rate of clients at a facility so all newcomers are versed in fire evacuation procedures. Firefighters recommend monthly evacuation practices. This improves muscle memory and automatic responses, while uncovering potential, but correctable, problems before encountering a real crisis. Flame and heat detectors with electronic eyes can signal the presence of heat or flame as it is rising, and carbon monoxide detectors are valuable, too. Cheap smoke detectors aren't as useful because they are triggered by air particulates and dust to give false alerts. Tags on fire extinguishers should be checked and contents updated at the local fire department as necessary. An extinguisher should be 10-20 pounds, minimal. Personnel should be trained in extinguisher use, as there is no time for a learning curve when a fire is doubling in size every minute. Fire hoses should have more than 100 psi of pressure, and it is helpful to have an installed sprinkler system for immediate suppression. Water suppression is considered a last resort--especially in rural areas--since it takes three to five minutes for fire fighters to arrive, and by then there might be no saving the barn. Regardless, it is good to have an established relationship with the local fire department. When you implement mitigation strategies, insurance costs go down and safety improves substantially, along with the potential to save lives.
What Not To Store In Your Barn
If You Live In A Torando or Hurricane State
First-Aid Kit Contents and How to Use Them
American Association of Equine Practitioners
"Strategies To Prevent and Respond To Barn Fires"
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It is estimated that 80% of all Equine deaths caused by disasters are from barn fires. Its importantt that your barn is safe if your horses or livestock spend anytime residing there. You need to look at what is stored inside your barn and make sure it is not combustable.
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What Not To Store In Your Barn:
Anything that runs on gasoline or fuel such as tractors or quads.
Liquids that or combustible such as paints, liquids for farm equipmen such as fuel or oilt.
Hay - store in another building or covered/enclosed out building if at all possible.
Radio's should never be left playing when you are not there. A spark from a bad or old cord could very easily start a fire.
Fan's should never be left plugged in throughout the night as they could spark a fire from a bad or old electric cord.
Electric heaters should never be left on unless you are there as they could be easily knocked over and they could also have bad or old cords.
Lights. If you feel the need to have lights in the barn think about installing motion detector lights at the entrance's and exits.
Keep your property cleared of all weeds and brush that could catch on fire in the dry hot months especially around barns and correls.
NO SMOKING! DO NOT let anyone smoke anywhere around, near, or in a barn.
Make sure you have an area on your property that is free of weeds and brush that animals can be turned out into should a barn or other area become engulfed in flames.
Fire extintquishers should be located at each entrance and exit and on each end of your barn and checked every 3 months to make sure they work and are full. Everyone should know how to use one.
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If You Live In A Torando or Hurricane State:
Keep you property cleaned up and remove any trash that is left laying around that could possibly become airborne in strong winds and kill someone or an animal.
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First Aid Kit:
Always keep an emergency kit available in your barn. Make sure it is well stocked. Always replace whatever you have used and know how to use everything in it.
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American Association of Equine Practitioners
"Strageties to Prevent and Respond to Barn Fires"
At the 2008 American Association of Equine Practitioners convention, held Dec. 6-10 in San Diego, Calif., Rebecca Gimenez, PhD, noted that barn fires are the No. 1 local emergency that affects everyone from horse owners to veterinarians, and property owners to the horses themselves. Barn fires kill more horses annually than any other type of nonmedical emergency. Of 11,500 agricultural storage facility fires per year, 88% are barns or stables with animals, resulting in about $250 million in property losses annually. In 87 horse-barn fire incidents reported in 2006 and 2007, 461 horses died and an unknown number were injured.
Is the evacuation plan practiced?
What combustibles (forage, shavings, stall planks, wood roofs, and walls) are present?
Are alcohol, cleaning products, oils (clipper grease, etc) in steel boxes?
Do stall doors face to the outside wall for a fast exit, or is the only egress along the inside barn aisle from an interior-facing stall door?
Are doors locked at the ends of the barn? Are stalls locked?
Do obstacles block egress out of the barn?
Is there a sprinkler system?
Are there sufficient stations of materials for fighting or suppressing fires?
Is there a chainsaw and/or an axe to open escape routes on outside walls?
Gimenez notes that it takes 30-60 seconds to halter and lead a horse to an exit. It isn't appropriate to open the stall door for the horse to escape because often they return to the barn or they might run into someone or impede emergency vehicles. Most horse fatalities are due to smoke inhalation; as a horse panics, rises in heart and respiratory rates increase inhalation of toxic fumes.
