Fire Safety for Horse Barns

If you have a horse barn on your property, you have probably thought about fire safety. Most likely you wouldn’t smoke or use open flames in the barn, and you have a fire extinguisher mounted on the wall of the tack room. However, fire safety involves a lot more than these obvious ideas. Many horse owners have failed to think about some other management steps to keep fire danger at the lowest possible level.

• Check stored hay and bedding frequently, especially in the days following receipt of a new shipment. Hay that is baled when it contains too much moisture can begin to decay, giving off sufficient heat to start a fire.
• Install fire extinguishers at each end of the barn, near every door, and in the tack and feed rooms. Set up a time to meet with everyone using the barn, and review how to find and operate the extinguishers. Make a schedule to have the extinguishers serviced regularly.
• Be sure that the street address and farm name are clearly displayed at the entrance to the property so that emergency responders can find your location. Check farm driveways and the space around the barn; narrow lanes, tight turns, and small fenced barnyards might keep fire trucks from being able to reach burning structures.
• If you are building or upgrading a barn, consider installing a sprinkler system, smoke detectors, and an emergency lighting system to provide light if the main power goes out.
• Even if you know your horses well, they may act unpredictably under stress. It’s a good idea to visit your barn at night with only a flashlight for illumination. Will your horse let you lead him around the dark barn? How does he behave if you put a blindfold on him? Will he let a stranger lead him under these circumstances? What would happen if the stranger wore a big hat, a bulky coat, and an oxygen tank? If you find any resistance, practice these things until they become less threatening to the horse.
• Ask the local fire department to visit your property and point out any measures you can take to reduce the risk of fire.