Manitoba Farm Safety has introduced an inspection program that other agricultural organizations should consider. The inspection is NOT for enforcement purposes, but for PREVENTION, showing up air leakages, electrical problems, and other correctable problems in your barn. Check out the program here:
I recently heard from Wilson White, a Content Marketing Specialist at ConsumerAffairs.com (https://www.consumeraffairs.com/), who offers helpful information about some of the major security system companies in the United States that can help you determine the best system if you’re considering installing (or having installed) a security system for your home and barn. Visit https://www.consumeraffairs.com/homeowners/aaa_alarm_systems.html . Mr. White can also be contacted at (918) 280-8144 if you have specific questions.
Are you ready to face a wildfire? I’d like to remind everyone of an excellent article by Alayne Renee Blickle that was first published in THE HORSE in 2013. Alayne provides easy-to-follow tips to help you make your own evacuation plan now, before (and hopefully never) you need to put your plan into action. Alayne’s article is important enough that you should take another look at it if you’ve read it before, or please do take the time to read her article if it is new to you. The link is: http://cs.thehorse.com/blogs/smart-horse-keeping/archive/2013/09/17/tips-for-developing-a-firewise-evacuation-plan.aspx . You’ll also enjoy Alayne’s website, http://www.horsesforcleanwater.com . She has great information for improving all areas of your farm.
Also, be sure to read the comment from Sarah in response to Alayne’s article, and visit her Silhouette Farm website, http://www.silhouettefarm.com to see photographs and read her narrative of her experience in the 2008 Triangle-Complex fire in California.
Michelle Staples, author of “Save Your Horse! A Horse Owner’s Guide to Large Animal Rescue” (www.saveyourhorse.com) sent this information from a student in one of the classes she teaches:
“At two of the larger barns I know, they did a safety audit as they used to mix baking soda with sand and keep it in 5 gallon pails throughout the building. The understanding was that baking soda also smothers a fire like sand but it is a lot lighter in weight and if a younger person or small adult discovers a fire, they can handle the weight of the baking soda/sand bucket. One hundred percent baking soda works well, too, but should be covered to protect it from moisture. Sand keeps the baking soda stable, but the bucket should also be covered.”