very good questions:
can your address easily be seen at night?
can a 25-40 ft vehicle manouver the driveway?
is it 14 ft wide?
will bridges support the weight?
14 ft above for electric wires and tree branches.
30 ft of cleared area around buildings?
[ ] post emergency signs i.e.
1) yell for help
2) call 911 (from landline if possible)
LOCATION OF PHONE:
FIRE DEPT PHONE #:
FACILITY ADDRESS:
DIRECTIONS/DESCRIPTION:
(meet EMV and guide them in)
3) decide fight or flight
aim at base of fire
[ ] water on wood, paper, hay type fires
[ ] extinguisher for electrical, flammable liquids or wires
[ ] post evacuation procedures
move horses to fenced or contained area, with locked gate.
lock stall door behind you as you go.
*
[ ] carry insurance
[ ] fire prevention policies
[ ] turn extinguishers over at least once a month keep clear of dust etc
[ ] check 1x per yr
[ ] no smoking on the property.
(or at minimum 10 ft from all buildings and combustible materials).
[ ] no storage of propane tanks, gasoline, open flame or propane fueled equip (especially farriers)
[ ] proper storage of hay, shavings
[ ] keep barn cobwebbed, clean and neat
[ ] don't block barn doors
[ ] keep stall door/latches in good condition
[ ] ensure address visible, even at night
[ ] consider how a 25-40 ft vehicle can manouver the drive (is it 14ft wide? is there 14ft clearance above? can bridges support the weight?)
at the horrible woodbine fire in 1992, 69 horses died, most of them in their stalls. even though many of them were released from the stalls, they were not enclosed and so, ran back in.
the average fire fighter does not know ANYTHING about horse handling. and, it can take fire fighters longer than 20 minutes to arrive in rural areas, and a fire doubles in size every three minutes... by the time they arrive it is usually to dark to see, and its the lack of oxygen and the smoke that kills. seconds count. surviving a fire requires knowledge and preparation.
i think you need to have posted evacuation procedures so that horse people move the horses and the fire fighters, when they get there, can fight the fire.