THE BUSINESS OF PRACTICE: EMERGENCY AND MEDIA PREPAREDNESS


September 2012—14 horses die (NH) April 2011—13 horses dead and 3 people injured (TX)


May 2011—6 Olympic horses dead, 2 people in- jured (PA)


April 2013—12 polo horses die (FL) July 2013—21 horses removed successfully, total loss of facility (SC) October 2013—1 person, 3 horses killed (FL) December 2013—1 person, 4 horses killed (NY) February 2014—5 horses and a cow killed, vet clinic damaged (WV) February 2014—18 horses killed (GA) February 2014—0 horses killed, $260 000 value loss (MI) February 2014—17 horses killed (OH) February 2014—8 horses killed, vet clinic (KY) February 2014—5 horses killed (LA) February 2014—0 horses killed, barn total loss (Kansas City, MO) February 2014—6 horses killed (CA) March 2014—35 horses died at race stables (MI) March 2014—2 horses died (MA)


Although there is no official statistics on barn fires, and this list represents only a few recent examples picked from the headlines of newspapers, there are numerous barn fires reported regularly across the country. Media reporting rarely gets the scope of the large dollar losses correct and often fails to fol- low up on these incidents.


2. Materials and Methods


Analysis of preventative measures into building and retrofitting equine facilities merits further clarifica- tion. The common methodologies that have been employed in so-called “modern” barn construction haven’t really changed in over 400 years. However, there are numerous new measures available to in- crease the positive outcomes in both prevention and response to fires in equine facilities.


Layout


The overall layout of facilities is a key component. The primary thing to consider is compartmentaliza- tion of storage facilities and potential combustibles by physically separating each “type” of stored item (Fig. 4). As an example, fire doors may be practical in some facilities and can be as simple as a roll up door that separates the facility in half or thirds. Fire walls are built of heavy duty materials or fire retardants and separate different areas of the barn from each other (second floor living areas from the main barn on the first floor, one section of the barn from the other, etc.). Compartmentalization helps to separate combustibles from the main barn as much as possible and includes hay, farm equipment, appliances, electrical system, manure, and fuels in separate facilities (Fig. 5). Practically, this means a separate shed for hay, bedding, and straw; no “hay lofts”; a separate manure compost or storage area;


442 2014  Vol. 60  AAEP PROCEEDINGS


Fig. 4. Fire door and firewall use in barns (red lines) for com- partmentalization. These ideas can be utilized in small or large facilities and only allow more time for removal of people and horses once the fire is detected.


and a separate shed for tractors and vehicles. Po- tential negative effects are increased property tax costs.


Manure, hay, and bedding are three major prod-


ucts related to or produced by an equine facility. All three are not only found in high quantities on a property, but they are highly combustible fuel and even ignition sources. The presence of stall bed- ding inside the barn cannot and should not be pre- vented, but storage away from the main barn of excess bedding is ideal, and some forms of bedding (shavings) have lower combustibility or dust ratings than others (hay, straw).


Forage Storage


In traditionally built barns, hay and grass forage was stored in the “hayloft.” We now know that hay should never be stored overhead in a barn, as it only increases the fuel loading within the barn and speeds the spread of fires as well as sometimes con- tributing to ignition sources. Very few barns have used a fire wall to separate the hay from the rest of the barn, or detection, alarm, and suppression sys- tems (Fig. 6). If it is critically necessary to store hay in the barn, consider storage of the majority in a separate facility and bringing in only a couple of days worth of feedings into the hay loft or storage area. Compartmentalization and proper handling is critical, especially with hay and straw. Green hay is highly combustible, particularly when it has just been baled in high humidity content and put into storage in the summer months. A probe should be used to determine the internal tempera- ture of the bales stored in a location separate from the horse facility for at least 3 months after baling to determine if there is any immediate danger (Fig. 7).


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