Horse Safety

• Maintain a “Fire Cache” – Tools to have on hand at your facility:
• A ladder long enough to reach the barn roof in case of a roof fire
• A minimum of 100 feet of pre-connected garden hose (or an adequate length to reach you structure) with a spray nozzle
• A shovel for clearing vegetation and throwing dirt
• A rake for clearing vegetation
• Water buckets
• A battery-powered radio for monitoring news reports and emergency evacuation broadcasts
• Keep these items together in an easily accessible place. Don’t let the tools be used for any purpose other than firefighting. Mark them with red paint if necessary. Make sure everyone who lives, works or boards at your barn know where the “Fire Cache” is located Reduce Fire Hazards – do some “hazard reduction” work around the barn:
• Store gasoline (as well as paints, solvents and other flammable materials) in an approved safety container away from occupied buildings
• Keep hay, straw, shavings, scrap wood and other combustible materials away from structures
• Clean roof surfaces and gutters regularly; rake perimeter areas
• Keep one hose (at least 100 feet) with the nozzle connected at a strategic location at all times
• Keep trees and shrubs pruned
• Maintain a fuel break around all structures
• Keep weeds knocked down in trailer and equipment storage areas
• Identify two retreat routes from your property
• Post ”no smoking” signs in and around the barn and in vegetated areas as appropriate
• Make sure chainsaws and other equipment have effective spark arrestors