What to do with equines in event of an emergency
Millstone gives clinic about horse safety on farms and in trailers
BY JANE MEGGITT
Staff Writer

Millstone

MILLSTONE - The main barn at Pat Butch's Bright Meadow Farm on Prodelin Way narrowly missed going up in smoke last fall.

Butch said that a van hit a nearby pole, which came down with the wires.

"Sparks started flying. Fires started in the trees and shrubs next to the road," Butch said. "The pole caught on fire. The van burned. Two transformers blew up. The power began back-surging."

Butch said that hot wires lay across the road and the barn driveway. The telephone and cable wires also burned out.

"All access to the facility was cut off," she said. "There were multiple fires burning, flames shooting up 20 to 30 feet high. The barn got hit with the surging electric, and the paint and finish burned off the metal sheeting."

Butch said it was an hour and a half before the power company turned off the electricity and the fire department started to fight the fires.

While the barn did not go up in flames, Butch said she is sure it would have if it had been constructed out of wood. The horses were evacuated to an upper barn approximately half a mile away in case the barn started to burn, she said.

When it was all over, only one horse was injured, with a minor cut about two inches long. Veterinarian Daniel Keenan, of Bordentown, stitched up the horse via flashlights and a miner's hat light, she said.

Bright Meadows Farm was luckier than other farms in the area in recent years. Last March, a barn fire killed 12 broodmares and their 12 babies at Perretti Farms in Upper Freehold. Twenty horses died in a barn fire at Gaitway Farm in Manalapan in 2000.

On Feb. 5, Millstone's Agricultural Council, of which Butch is a member, sponsored a seminar on emergency preparedness for the horse and barn owner and emergency personnel, featuring Keenan and Dr. Anne Pierok, principal veterinarian for the New Jersey Department of Agriculture, Division of Animal Health. The well-attended event was held at the Millstone firehouse.

Pierok said that emergency personnel should establish a network to deal with loose livestock. Such a network would include local farmers, horsemen and veterinarians, she said.

She warned barn owners of wet spots in uncured hay that could cause spontaneous combustion of hay bales. For that reason, she recommended that if at all possible, hay not be stored in a barn with horses or livestock. She noted that hay also fuels fires.

Other flammable materials should not be stored in a barn, she said, including liniments and certain ointments used for horses. Pierok recommended keeping such items in special medicine cabinets in an outbuilding. The barn should be kept clean and free of debris, and cobwebs should be taken down daily, she said.

If there are at least two exits from a barn, there is a greater chance to save horses in case of fire, she said.

Pierok said barns should have some form of rodent control, as vermin chew through wires. When building a new barn, using a flame-retardant wood could buy time for rescuers to get horses out in the event of a fire, she said.

Those trying to catch loose horses or rescue them in a fire should speak to them in a soft, singsong voice, according to Pierok. There should be a phone in every barn in case of an emergency, and even simple things such as the barn's address should be posted somewhere that's easily visible, as people tend to go into a state of shock during times of crisis, she said.

For any fire, 911 should be called at once, she said. Local emergency personnel should have supplies such as halters, lead ropes, lariats, a livestock whip, hog snare or rabies pole, bucket and small feed bag on hand, she said.

Firemen should cut their sirens before getting close to a stable, as the noise frightens horses and livestock, she said.

"The more frightened a horse is, the more dangerous [the situation]," she said.

Pierok warned that horses are prey animals and therefore spook easily. For prey animals, running means escape and safety, she said. If they are trapped, they may kick, strike and bite, according to Pierok.

All horses will be extremely afraid of fire, she said. When dealing with the animals, people should either stand close to them or at least 10 feet away, she said. The most dangerous place to be is 4 or 5 feet away, which is their kicking/striking zone, she said.

According to Keenan, smoke and heat detection systems for barns are not dependable at this time. He said the best thing is to have a hard-wired, manually activated alarm system that goes directly to an alarm company and has an external bell or alarm.

In the event of a natural or other kind of disaster, Keenan said all horses should have some form of identification such as microchipping. All owners should have access to a trailer and an emergency evacuation plan.

In central New Jersey, the Horse Park of New Jersey serves as the designated evacuation destination, he said. However, should an emergency in the area make the Horse Park untenable, owners should plan to take their horses somewhere outside the area.

In storms and floods, Keenan said the safest thing to do may be to turn horses out rather than leave them in the barn.

"They can survive some pretty amazing storms," he said.

Keenan said it is very important for horses to know how to get on a trailer. He recommended that owners work with them beforehand to prepare them if necessary.

"Difficult loading is a serious problem in an emergency," he said. "You may have to leave them behind."

Pierok showed a video titled "Equine Trailer Rescue," which was made in the early 1990s by Dr. S. Perrine Dey, of Upper Freehold, and members of Allentown's Hope Fire Company.

Pierok said that Dey created an extrication drill for emergency personnel using a mannequin horse. In the video, Dey said that not all horses in a trailer accident will be salvageable. He said it is important for a veterinarian to be present to survey the situation and make a decision. If a horse needs to be humanely destroyed, it should be done immediately before it is removed from the wreckage, according to Dey.

While people generally do not ride in a two-horse trailer, they may be in a larger horse van and personnel must look for them, according to Dey.

"In the bigger rigs, they usually have attendants," Dey said.

Millstone Fire Marshal Chris Weltner said that any homeowner having a fire inspection by the fire company can also have their barn inspected. Commercial barns should be registered and have an annual inspection, he said.

For more information, call the fire company at (609) 259-2560.