Lucky 13

Posted in MD Barnmaster Blog

13 tips to keep your barn safe from fire.

What kind of barn do you have?  If it is a wooden barn, you may have a pretty, big fire hazard.  Thankfully, fires don't happen often. When they do, it’s often a case of poor fire prevention rather than bad luck. By following our Lucky 13 list below, you can increase the odds that you'll keep your horses safe from fire.  Of course, if you're thinking of building a new barn, one of the smartest things you can do to prevent a fire is to build an MDBarnmaster barn.

With a 0% flame spread ratting awarded by two independent labs, a properly managed MDBarnmaster barn is the safest structure you can choose to house your horses.  However, even a MDBarnmaster barn can fall prey to fire if you don't follow some simple rules (like not storing hay in the rafters.)  Regardless of where your horses live, read the list for good luck and a safe barn.

Prevention

1. Ban smoking. And enforce the ban ruthlessly.
2. Be clean and neat. Banish clutter and cobwebs, which are highly flammable. If you live in a wildfire area, clear a 50-foot firebreak around your barn, removing brush, trees, tall grass and debris.
3. Install a ground lighting rod system to protect your barn during electrical storms.
4. Periodically have a certified electrician check and update your electrical system as needed. Most important:
   • Have enough power and outlets for your needs (one plug per outlet — no "2 into 6" converters, for example)
   • Have modern circuit breakers in good working order.
   • Keep outlets and cords out of horses' reach.
   • Make sure wiring is in good condition and installed through rodent-proof conduits. If your barn was built by a previous owner, investigate whether unprotected wiring was installed inside stall walls. If so, re-wiring in a different location or encasing the wires in metal conduit is advisable due to the likelihood of pinching and fraying from repeated kicking over the years.
5. Keep only as much hay, straw and shavings in the barn as you'll use in one day. Store the rest in a separate building. Under no circumstances should you ever store hay or straw in the rafters. Spontaneous combustion is no myth; it is a common cause of barn fires. Even if they don’t cause the fire, having combustible materials under the roof will dramatically accelerate the fire.
6. Avoid using heating devices (including bucket heaters) whenever possible, and use extreme caution when you do use them. Keep heaters and heat lamps clear of combustibles, away from high traffic areas and out of reach of livestock and children who might tip them over. Follow manufactures' directions on bucket heaters; the most frequent problem is allowing the water to run out, which in turn causes the element to melt through the plastic to contact combustible material.

   Evacuation

7. Have a plan of action ahead of time —  And practice it! Having an evacuation plan will help keep you rational and clear-headed during the panic of a fire. Your plan will depend upon the structure of your barn, it’s inhabitants, and the point at which you discover the fire. In formulating your plan, keep three things in mind:
   1. Fire spreads faster then you will ever imagine. Flowing upwards into the rafters, it will quickly cause the roof to cave in.
   2. Many people die AFTER they leave a burning structure because they go back in. The fire department is often seconds away when this happens, and they're the ones equipped to do the rescuing safely.
   3. People most often die in fires when they become disoriented and trapped...either overcome by smoke, or by collapsing structures.

   What should be in your plan?

   • Who, where and how to call the fire department.
   • Where to take the horses.
   • How to know everyone got out.
   • In what situations and how the fire should be fought.In what circumstances will you try to get the horses out. This is a tough subject. Every horseperson will want to get their horses out, and most will be driven to take unwise changes. Talking over different scenarios ahead of time is uncomfortable, but a smart step to take. Start with the extreme examples, and fill in situations between. At one extreme, taking a nearby cooperative horse with you as you exit a burning building is usually a good idea. At the other extreme, going into a burning barn with a roof that's totally engulfed in flames is an extremely bad idea; both you and your horse will die when the roof caves in. While those scenarios are pretty easy to figure out, it's the many shades of gray between that gets people into critical trouble. When you think about how you'd handle different scenarios, be extremely conservative. Only firefighters can read the situation and know whether it's safe for them to try and save your horses. You can't. It's that simple.
8. Keep a halter and lead rope on every stall door to speed evacuation efforts.  Under no circumstances should you run down an interior aisle opening stall doors.  The panicked horses will stampede and might knock you or someone else unconscious.  Also, keep in mind that horses will often run back into the barn because even though it's on fire, it's their "safe haven."  Therefore, if your horses are in an interior-aisle situation, lead them to the nearest enclosure, and close the gate behind them.  If there are exterior stall doors, it will probably be ok to open them as long as you can stand clear in a safe area as the horses exit. After they exit, close the door behind them. If there are exterior stall doors, you might want to close the aisle doors to keep horses from running back in that way.  Of course, make sure the barn is cleared of people first.
9. Post directions to your barn next to the telephone, so that if it's safe to call the fire department from the barn, the person who's doing the calling will be able to read them.  People in an emergency situation are often too panicked to recite street names and mileage without help.
10. Enlist your fire department’s support before you have a fire. Once you have a plan, call the fire department on the non-emergency line and invite them out to review your plan and procedures.  (If they're a volunteer department, a donation is always nice.)  Many departments, especially rural ones, are open to learning from you how to halter, lead, and handle horses in the case of an emergency.

    Equipment

11. Install a sprinkler system. Without a doubt, this is the best thing you can do equipment-wise to prevent a total loss to fire.  However, there are three big issues to consider when installing a sprinkler system: expense, water capacity, and false alarms flooding your stalls and tack room.  The first is significant, but it is a very personal issue.  The second issue is difficult, as extremely high water pressure and an unlimited supply of water is needed to extinguish a fire that's already made headway.  This isn't a problem for barns on city water, but most barns are on wells.  The third issue, false alarms and flooding stalls, can be avoided by selecting a system that is heat-activated rather than smoke-activated, as dust will fool smoke-based systems.  With so many variables — including the size and location of your barn and your budget — we recommend that you research your options and check references to make sure the decision is right for you.
12. Install an alarm system that's heat activated.  (Smoke alarms give earlier warnings, but you must keep them free of dust to avoid false alarms. This is almost impossible in a barn.)  Consider a system connected to a central monitoring service, which will pick up and relay the alarm to the fire department.
13. Have plenty of fire extinguishers and hoses available. Check your local fire code to see if there are specific requirements for the placement of fire extinguishers and hoses.  In the absence of codes, place fire extinguishers where you can reach them quickly — as close as every 30 to 40 feet inside your barn.  Dry chemical extinguishers are best for electrical fires, which are one of the most common causes of barn fires.  Most barns won't have the threat of an oil or grease fire; however, if there is the possibility of one in your barn, keep CO2 extinguishers on hand as well.  Water is the best extinguisher for burning hay, wood, and so forth as it cools the material.  There is a type of canister fire extinguisher that contains pressurized water for forceful applications, and you should of course keep a hose hooked up to a hydrant whenever possible.  Proper use of fire extinguishers is another topic you should discuss with your local fire department, as fire extinguishers aren't necessarily easy to use in an emergency without training.  Fire departments often offer training sessions or can refer you to programs that do.