A barn fire is every horse owner’s worst nightmare . . . and a nightmare that comes true all too often. Most barn fires have tragic consequences — in the destruction of buildings, equipment, records and irreplaceable items. But they are most devastating when they involve the loss of precious human and animal lives.
We’ve all seen the tragic headlines. We’ve all heard the horror stories of horses being burned in their stalls. And we all understand that when flames rage through a barn in the presence of panicked horses, you have a crisis of huge proportions. But did you know that more horses die in barn fires than all other disasters combined?
Anyone who has ever experienced a horse barn fire will tell you that PREVENTION IS PARAMOUNT. Now, thanks to Equine Scientific Products, the horse industry has an affordable and highly effective way to help prevent the devastation of barn fires.
Equine Scientific is the exclusive distributor of a line of UL tested and classified fire retardant and flame-proofing solutions called the Adkins’ Security ZONET. These state-of-the-art products are the result of 20 years of intensive development and on-the-job experience in the fire prevention industry. They have been used successfully for years in nursing homes, hospitals, hotels, restaurants, nightclubs, office buildings, etc. For the first time ever, these potentially life-saving products are now available to the equine industry.
The cornerstone of the Adkins’ Security ZONE line of products is designed for application on wooden surfaces — like the boards you traditionally find in a stall. Wood properly treated with Security ZONE will not support flame. This unique product is highly effective, long lasting, easy to apply, colorless, odorless, non-staining, non-toxic, environmentally friendly, and safe for humans and animals. Additional fire retardant products in the Security ZONE line will be introduced in the near future.
Fire safety experts tell us that once a fire starts in a horse’s stall, there is only a window of about 30 seconds to rescue it before the animal suffers fatal burns or smoke inhalation. Horses in adjoining stalls have five to eight minutes to be rescued, depending on stall construction and proximity to the fire.
These same experts say that 80-85% of horse barn fires are caused by electrical malfunctions or by human error and carelessness (smoking, forgetting a water-bucket heater, overloading electrical connections, etc.). This sobering statistic points to the fact that the majority of all barn fires are the result of a lack of understanding of what Equine Scientific calls the four “Ps” — Prevent, Prepare, Plan and Practice.
In an effort to help educate horse people on the importance of fire prevention and the significance of the four “Ps,” Equine Scientific is in the process of developing an instructional pamphlet on the subject. They are collaborating on the contents with equine industry leaders as well as fire safety and fire fighting professionals. The pamphlet will be available free-of-charge beginning in August 2002. Watch for further details.
Meanwhile, it goes without saying that horse owners need to prepare for the eventuality of a fire by eliminating all sources of fire risk in and around the barn. They also need to have an emergency plan of action — including an evacuation plan — and to practice the plan ahead of time. But even more importantly, they need to take the preventative step of making their horses’ environments as fire retardant and flame proof as possible.
Equine Scientific believes strongly that horse people need to “Be Proactive, Not Reactive” when it comes to the proper care of their horses. This adage is particularly appropriate for the Security ZONE line of products, because taking a proactive role in fire prevention is every horse owner’s responsibility.
Adkins’ Security ZONE is available nationwide in tack and farm stores. To place an order, or for further information about all of the innovative and life-enhancing products offered by Equine Scientific, contact them toll-free at 877-362-2285.