Fire Evacuation – Owning Your Fire Plan

BARTA have released a new fire safety film that outlines a fire evacuation plan and training exercise conducted at the Horse Trust, focusing on human safety, animal safety, and operational effectiveness.

The film stresses the importance of owning the fire plan and practicing it with the entire team,take a look at the resources area on the BARTA website for more information on creating a fire and emergency plan.

Jim Green, BARTA Director of Operations said:
“Too often, fire risk assessments are seen as tick-box exercises left to gather dust. But a living,
breathing fire plan – understood and owned by every team member – can make the difference
between tragedy and success.

This film aims to give equestrian yards across the UK, confidence in understanding and accessing the tools they need to create and practice a workable plan, tailored to their own risks and resources.”

For human safety, the plan includes immediate alarm response, checking the fire panel (and photographing it), evacuation procedures, fire warden roles, assembly point accounting, and contacting the fire service with accurate information.

Animal safety considerations involve deciding whether to evacuate or shelter animals, with emphasis on pre-planning and practice. In this scenario, horses are evacuated to a predetermined refuge by a briefed team wearing proper PPE, with one person overseeing the evacuation.

Operational effectiveness focuses on ensuring rapid fire service access, including pre-visits by the fire crew, designated gate opening, and a fire warden greeting the crew. The yard manager provides the incident commander with a plan and details of the situation, and the crew has access to a fire hydrant and information box.

The fire safety film and accompanying resources are now available in the: BARTA Resources Area