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Re: potential barn fires - From: j_clarkdawe@conknet.com (Clark-Dawe) Subject: Re: New Barn - any suggestions Date: Thu, 01 Aug 1996 15:20:38 -0400 j_clarkdawe@conknet.com (Clark-Dawe) wrote: Re: potential barn fires - As far as water goes, you need a good supply. Most rural farms have their own water source which might pump 10 gallons per minute. A typical fire hose will be using 100 gpm. Unless a fire is very small, you are not going to do much with a garden house. A municipal system with high pressure water might have enough force in a sprinkler system to put out a fire. Most barn fires smolder for quite a while before the erupt into fire. Then most barns burn very fast. As a volunteer firefighter, I have responded to barn fires where the barn was completely burned out in less then 1/2 an hour. Jim Clark-Dawe Webster Jim - now that you've confessed to being a volunteer fireman [BTW - standing ovation for all the skilled volunteers and paid professionals who often risk their lives to try to keep us safe!!!] .......... bet you saw this one coming ... :) Can you provide any advice on what kinds of barn structures / designs and construction materials are safer than others from the fire perspective? And any other fire prevention tips that you think would be helpful, like details on fire breaks, etc.? Or "what to do if" suggestions? Promise not to hold you responsible. :))) Just looking for ideas from someone who knows a bunch more about fires than the rest of us. Thanks! Jorene just moseyin' down the trail ... :) Jorene - For what it is worth, here goes: Any large open structure burns faster than the same size structure with walls. This is why barns and churchs burn faster than houses. Any place that you can put up a wall will delay a fire. Unfortunately, in barns this is often not possible. A solid barn floor with only a trap door (that you keep closed) works better than a barn with lofts both for falls and fires. On the other hand, fires burning in small enclosed areas are harder to detect. A smoke detector designed for barns is a good investment. Most household detectors will not survive the dust that any barn has. The smoke alarm should be connected to an outside noisemaker loud enough to be heard quite a distance away (at least to your neighbors, if possible) Otherwise, connect it with an alarm system that sends a warning via telephone. A repeater on the alarm in your bedroom is a good idea. A sprinkler system is good if you can afford it and you have enough water pressure. If someone tells you that a sprinkler system connected into your well system is going to work, I have a couple nice bridges that I'm willing to sell you. In a rural area, water supply is essential. At a major structure fire, two fire engines can be pumping up to 2500 gallons per minute. We can drain a small pond very rapidly at that rate. Know where your best water source is. If you have a swimming pool, that is your first water source (and at night, a fire department might not see it). If you live in an area with hydrants, plan an alternative. Most rural hydrants will not supply enough water to keep one fire engine going. Plan how you would get a fire engine onto your property. They are wider than most pick-up trucks and they do not turn as well. Ladder trucks are especially difficult to get around narrow corners. (I can take a corner with a 4 horse stock trailer easier than I can with a ladder truck.) Figure out if the ground will support a truck. Hay, gas, oil, scrap wood, etc. should be stored in a seperate location. Place halters and lead lines in a location that is quickly available in the dark and for strangers. The problem with this idea is that you have increased your theft problem. Think about access to your barn in the dark. No electricity, just flashlights. Often electrical power is the first thing to go in a fire. If it isn't, the fire department is going to disconnect it before someone gets an electrical shock. Painting white lines on the floor of your barn to mark aisles is nice. A clear notice of dangerous horses is appreciated. A map or plan of your property (located outside the barn) is helpful. Training your horses to deal with very noisy equipment is useful. Also, most fire fighters will not enter a building that has any smoke without turnout gear and an SCBA air pack. In my department this gear is bright yellow. Also the SCBA is very noisy f oyur not use to it and distorts your voice. Every year, several children die in fires because they are afraid of the fireman. So just imagion what your horses will be like. After you remove the horses, where are you going to take them. Get them off of your property. It will be very noisy, with flashing lights and much excitement, just the situation to get any horse freaky. Either load them into your trailer and drive them a mile down the road, or figure out where you can safely place them. Do not let them lose in the field since they are liabvle to return to the barn. CHECK YOUR ELECTRICAL WORK. HAVE A SHUTOFF FOR THE BARN SO THAT WHEN YOU LEAVE THE BARN, ALL OF THE ELECTRICITY IS SHUT OFF. Best way to keep your horses safe in a barn fire is to keep them outdoors rather than in a barn. Barn fires can spread extremely fast. It is not worth dieing for to save a horse. Fire departments also respond to other emergencies in barns. Even if there is no fire, the fire fighters may be in turnout gear. Be aware of what problems your fertilizers can cause. Some will explode on contact with water. Others will emit poisonous fumes. Contact your local fire department. See if they would like a tour of your facility. Most fire departments like tours since this is how we preplan. We also will suggest improvements for fire protection. Some of these improvements may result in a reduction of your fire insurance. Hope this info answers some of your questions. If you have others, please contact me at j_clarkdawe@conknet.com. Jim Clark-Dawe Webster, NH |
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