Having a Fire Safety Plan for the Horse Property

Jan 22, 2012
Chris Thomas

Smoke Across a Property can Indicate Nearby Fires - C. Thomas

Horses can be a particularly difficult to transport to a safe area if needed. Every horse property should have a plan of action in case of a fire.

As the warm summer months come around, talk of fire safety becomes evident again. Unfortunately, often this can come too late when preparing to protect a property against potential fires. Every property owner when first purchasing a place, should consider how they will deal with a fire and adjust the plan as necessary. This is a better option than waiting to get to know the property and the area, and being left having to make a quick decision about what will be done.

Choosing to Stay or go

The first decision that needs to be made is whether or not the owner (and possibly staff) will stay and protect the property, or leave before it’s impossible to do so. The safety of people should be first priority.

Depending on the amount of warning provided to property owners before a fire, it may be possible to choose to relocate horses to a safer area. For this reason, there should be suitable yards and a loading ramp on the property and all horses should be familiar with being loaded onto a float or truck. Having the time to relocate horses should decrease the need to rush and panic horses.

If it’s not possible to relocate horses in the event of a fire, it may be desirable to determine if there is a ‘safe’ area on the property. This may be an arena or yards that are clear of surrounding trees or other flammable objects or it may be a paddock with a water source. There may be no ideal place to locate the horses in case of a fire, but some areas of the property may provide more chance for survival than others.

Being Prepared Beforehand

Much like the decision of whether you will stay or go, it’s important to have the background history of your property prior to any potential fires. Being aware of what areas nearby are prone to bush fires or which direction fires tend to arrive from is beneficial when planning an escape route. Consider also:

Water sources on the property
The ease of transporting horses
Property layout
Facilities that may be beneficial for housing staff or horses in the event of a fire

Much information can be provided from local councils, fire authorities or even neighbours who have been in the area for a length of time. If starting a property from scratch or planning to adjust a property to better suit its planned use, there are many things owners can do to help fireproof a place. These will generally come under property maintenance for fire prevention.