+ Call your local fire department and ask them to tour your facility. Ask them for any suggestions as to improvements for fire protection. An important part of fire prevention is working with your local police and fire departments.

+ Plan how you would get a fire engine onto your property. Fire trucks are difficult to turn in small areas and require ground that will support them. Make sure this would provide year-round access.

+ Think about ease of access to your barn in the dark.  No electricity, just flashlights, if the fire does not take out the electricity, the fire department will turn it off to prevent electrical shock.

+ Have a clear map of the barn and property posted at a location well away from the barn. Alternate water and power sources should be clearly marked.

+ Survey your property for the best location for animal confinement in the event of fire. Post this location at the barn map.

+ Water supply is essential, where is you best water source? If you have a swimming pool or pond, that is your first water source and at night, a fire department might not see it so mark it on the map.

+ If possible, buildings should be at least 50 or more from one another to reduce the chance of a fire in one building spreading to another.

+ Modify your electrical system to allow turning off power to buildings without turning off power to your water pumps. It is also not a bad idea to have another power source supplying power to external lights, which are placed well away from the barn but will allow a place to “gather”.

+ A sprinkler system can be an asset, but make sure that you have the water pressure to handle one.  Approximately 95 percent of fires where a sprinkler system existed have been controlled or extinguished.

+ Add lightning rods to your barn.

+ Place fire extinguishers at each entrance, in the feed and tack rooms.

+ Place halters and lead lines in a location that is quickly available in the dark and for strangers. Keep lead lines attached to halters. Marking this location clearly with a glow in the dark lettering which can be seen in limited lighting.

+ Install a fire detection system to notify you, 911 emergency operators or connected to the nearest fire fighting organization for automatic alarm. Also have the system attached to outside noisemaker, that can be heard at your house and that of the neighbors.

+ If possible, install a frost proof water hydrant at the entrance to each barn. Make sure that the hose, stored at the hydrant, is long enough to reach the far end of the barn.

+ Fuel tanks should be located at least 40 feet away from buildings. Make sure the tanks are properly grounded and that there are fire extinguishers near the tanks.

+ A list of all emergency telephone numbers; police, fire, hospital (vet and human,) EMT, poison control should be available at various locations on the farm.

Prepare . . .

+ Develop an evacuation plan.

+ Stall your most valuable, oldest, weakest and most likely to panic horses so they can be removed first from the barn.

+ Have adequate holding pens or an area where horses can be properly confined when removed from the barn. Loose horses are dangerous and often charge back into a burning barn.

+ Training your horses to deal with noise, bright flashing lights etc.. Children have been known to die in fires because they were afraid of the fireman.  So just imagine what it will be like to your horses.

+ Cell phone, flashlights, extra batteries, portable generators are all good resources to have on hand.

Prevent . . .

+ The storage of wet hay is the most common cause of hay fires. Reducing the risk of hay fires.

+ Do not be lulled into a false sense of security because your buildings made of metal roofing and siding, once a fire starts it is often hard to get under control.

+ Faulty electrical wiring and connections are one of the leading causes of barn fires. If you do not know if your facilities were inspected, have a qualified electrician check the wiring.

+ Are the service boxes in a dry, dust free location and mounted on fire resistant materials?

+ Are the electrical fixtures free of dust, dirt, cob webs, chaff, hay or combustible materials?

+ Clean the dust out of electrical appliances such as fans and heaters.

+ Never use extension cords or multiple plug strips in the barn. If extension cords must be used, buy industrial grade ones.

+ Disconnect coffee pots, radios, fans, portable heaters and other electrical appliances when not in use.

+ Do not run electric cords over nails as supports or hangers.

+ Cage all electric light fixtures to prevent damage.

+ Electrical wires should be in conduit pipes so horses and rodents cannot chew through the protective insulation for the wire. Put electrical wire through metal conduits, not plastic or PVC pipe. Horses should not have access to the conduit.

+ Feed, hay and bedding areas should be “off limits” to all individuals, except employees.

+ Keep your barn clean and free of dust, cobwebs, trash, oily tack or hoof cleaning rags, soiled paper towels and other easily ignited fire hazards.

+ Do not allow smoking in your barn. Post “No Smoking” signs at all entrances, and provide sand buckets for lighted cigarettes.

+ Hay, gas, oil, scrap wood, etc. should be stored in a separate location.

+ Do not store bedding materials in the horse barn.

+ Quick moving fires, which are difficult to put out are encouraged by stalls made of wood, filled with straw as bedding for the horses. Consider shavings as alternate bedding and any place you can put up a solid, non flammable wall will delay a fire.

This plan is from Ohio State University Extension Department of Horticulture and Crop Science.