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Be Prepared for Emergencies:
- Make sure your property is
easily accessible for emergency vehicles and equipment.
- Install smoke detectors or
heat sensors. Heat sensors may be a better idea as some smoke
detectors may give off false alarms from reading dust.
- Mount “all-purpose”
dry-chemical fire extinguishers through out your stable in easily
accessible areas. If
for any reason you need to use one, buy a new one and hang it up.
Your local fire expert can help you determine where to place the
extinguishers. Inspect your extinguishers on a regular schedule.
Learn how to use them BEFORE they are actually needed. Make sure
all staff know where they are an how to use them also.
- Keep a halter and lead rope on
every stall.
- Install a phone line inside
your barn, or keep a FULLY CHARGED cell phone at the barn at all
times.
- Install plumbing or keep water
tanks full at all times.
- If able, install a sprinkler
system. And select building materials with low flammability.
- Create an emergency evacuation
plan. Familiarize yourself as well as ANYONE else who will be at
your barn on a regular basis with this plan. Practice these plans
every couple of months so you can work out any kinks and be better
prepared when you actually need to execute the plan. You horses
can even become familiarized with these plans. Use flashing lights
and bulky uniforms to help accustom them to emergency personal.
- If necessary, blind fold your
horses to lead them past fires (you may want to practice this
first to see how they react) ALWAYS close the gate after you put
each horse in their designated areas. Even if you still have more
horses to get. A panicked horse will run back to the barn.
- Keep a separate first aid kid
in case you other one is caught in the fire.
Prevent
Barn Fires |
