A
recent tragedy has prompted me to write on this topic. A recent horse barn fire claimed three horses
and a heifer. This happened in a barn
that has had no problems before, but, as the news reports stated, it only took
a spark from burning some trash nearby to cause the total loss of the barn,
equipment, and the horses.
According
to fire experts, fires in horse barns spread very rapidly and cause a great
amount of damage in a very short time.
That make sense when one considers what is usually found in a horse
barn. Just about everything is
combustible, including the bedding, the hay, the materials that the stalls and
barn are made of, down to the dust that tends to collect on most surfaces,
including the spider webs in the corners and on light fixtures.
When
a fire starts in a stall, there is very little time to react and get the horse
in that stall to safety without sustaining some type of injury. It only takes two to three minutes for a
straw fire to burn an area 10 feet in diameter.
By the time the fire is four feet in diameter, the horse will have
suffered injury; by 6 feet, there will be lung damage, and it only gets worse
from there.
The
Penn State Cooperative Extension Service has a comprehensive document that
reviews fire safety in horse stables and makes specific recommendations that
horse barn owners should consider when building a new facility or working in
and managing an existing barn. The web
address for that publication is extension.psu.edu/pubs/ub034. This link will open a pdf document, so wait a
bit before navigating away thinking nothing is happening.
Horse barn owners should do everything possible to
prevent fires, and most do a good job of this.
Here is a summary of things to consider in your horse barn:
·
Store hay and bedding in a separate building
from the horse stable.
·
Minimize fuel and ignition sources in and
around the barn. Be sure to store and dispose of combustible materials
properly.
·
Keeping the barn neat and clean has aesthetic
appeal, will minimize the risk of fire, and increase the chances of escape
during a fire.
·
Post and enforce a No Smoking policy.
·
Be sure that the facility is accessible to
emergency vehicles and that the ground around the buildings is sturdy enough to
support them. Fire trucks weigh in
excess of 40,000 pounds.
·
An effective tool for preventing fire spread
is to separate the buildings.
·
All barns should be outfitted with a
lightening protection system and inspected regularly. Only certified
professionals should install and inspect the lightning protection system.
·
Having multiple water hydrants around the barn
will give more options for early fire suppression.
·
Know where additional water sources (e.g.,
ponds) can be located.
·
Have at least one charged and mounted ABC-type
fire extinguisher every 50 feet.
·
Be sure wiring and all electrical equipment is
rated for agricultural use, is in working condition, is free of dust and
cobwebs, and is housed in PVC conduit. Wires with UF-B ratings are preferable.
·
Design stalls with two exits that open into a
secure, enclosed area and be sure that any swinging doors do not obstruct
pathways.
·
Have halters and lead ropes easily accessible
on stall doors.
·
Post written emergency information at each
phone. This information should include written directions to the facility and a
list of commonly kept combustibles.
·
Post and practice evacuation routes.
IN CASE OF FIRE, do these things:
1. Remain calm
2. Survey the scene
3. Call 911 or Fire Department
4. Evacuate.
There just won’t be much time to get animals and
equipment out of the barn in the event of a fire, unless the barn is designed
to minimize fire damage and there are not many combustibles in the barn. A lot of the early warning devices are not
designed to work in a horse facility, or other agricultural buildings. Use the best recommended warning devices in
horse barns. Each type has some
drawbacks.
Again, check out the Penn State publication for a more
in-depth review of how barn fires can start and ways to prevent them from
happening in the first place.