Fire Safety in Stables

[Tom Sutton]

I received the following enquiry recently,

"Do you have any information or advice regarding fire safety with horses in stables and horses in a large (think NEC type hall) building with MOP milling around. The client wanting advice has been around for many years but their level of fire and health and safety is scary and this is something I have not come across before.
Any assistance would be most appreciated."

I do not think it is a wind up but you never know.

[Ricardo]

Would this not be the appropriate guidance for your client?

http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/fire/firesafetyanimal

[nearlythere]

Oh no. Not the dreaded animal hotel issue again. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

[Tom Sutton]

Would this not be the appropriate guidance for your client?

http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/fire/firesafetyanimal

It should be but parts of this guidance are a joke the problem is trying to decide which parts can be recommended if any.

[kurnal]

This should be looked at more as a large public event or show and planned accordingly. No doubt the local authority require an event Health and Safety plan.  The horses just add another dimension which does need some special consideration. Particular problems may arise if it is intended that the public and the  bloodstock may intermix and mingle- in the arena environment risk can be much more easily controlled. I have an acquantance who is a trained jockey and owns race horses  as well as being a qualified and experienced fire safety officer and he may be of assistance to you.

[slubberdegullion]

As kurnal says, a very broad risk assessment is probably required for such an event by the local authority.  But more generally, Harry Paviour has recently written a book about the fire risks in stables - only flicked through it myself so cannot vouch for it but I suspect it's thorough enough in its analysis.  Try this link - it's not the only link to the book but here you can see it....

http://www.britishhorse.com/acatalog/BritishHorse_Equestrian_Business_Management_4.html

Stu

[Tom Sutton]

I have an acquantance who is a trained jockey and owns race horses  as well as being a qualified and experienced fire safety officer and he may be of assistance to you.

Send me the details please.

[The Colonel]

Cheshire and Shropshire Fire Services give some good advice on stables etc. Perhaps DCLG should have looked at their sites

[nearlythere]

This should be looked at more as a large public event or show and planned accordingly. No doubt the local authority require an event Health and Safety plan.  The horses just add another dimension which does need some special consideration. Particular problems may arise if it is intended that the public and the  bloodstock may intermix and mingle- in the arena environment risk can be much more easily controlled. I have an acquantance who is a trained jockey and owns race horses  as well as being a qualified and experienced fire safety officer and he may be of assistance to you.

I am of the equestrian type and maybe I can help. Something that seems to be missing from the "Guide" (I use the word very loosely) is an understanding of horse livery. Contrary to the view of the guide's author horses do not live in hotel type rooms with self closing fire doors etc. That would be too dangerous a situation for the horse and handler.
My advice to to use the guide for a wobbly table and stick to the common sense approach.

[Tom Sutton]

Thanks to everybody and all the information submitted has been passed on.