Firewise Education – for Horse and Small Acreage Livestock Owners

Wildfire can be caused by lightning or human-caused ignitions or through the spreading and advancing of which began elsewhere. Windblown embers from a nearby up can travel up to a mile away, landing on buildings or combustibles and igniting. In southwestern Idaho, high temperatures, limited summer rainfall, strong winds and lightning storms all lead to very high fire danger.

The amount of fire risk your horse property faces is influenced by: • location, slope and accessibility of your property, • amount, type and location of surrounding vegetation, • the condition and placement of buildings, • availability of water, • your physical capabilities and those of family members or employees.

This checklist will help you identify wildfire risks for your horse property, farm or ranch and offer appropriate actions to minimize risks. Follow up by consulting the Evacuation Planning Checklist to help you put together a firewise evacuation plan for your property and animals should the threat of wildfire become real.

1 | Page Developed by Alayne Blickle, Horses for Clean Water, with funding from the Southwest Idaho Resource Conservation and Development, 2013. Permission to reproduce is granted. Firewise Education – for Horse and Small Acreage Livestock Owners

RISK DETAILS PLANS FOR NEW PROTECT EXISTING BUILDINGS ADDITIONAL BUILDINGS AND RESOURCES STRUCTURES Buildings less When planning or building Create a defensible space between Click here to read than 15 feet apart new outbuildings place buildings that are less than 15 feet more about are a risk for them as far apart as is apart. A defensible space is an area creating a spreading fire reasonably possible where combustibles and vegetation Defensible space is kept to a minimum. ( around buildings) Structures on top behave differently When possible, locate A minimum defensible space of 100 The science of fire of a hill are at on slopes and in draws , shelters and other feet is recommended for homes and greater fire risk than on flat areas. Fires structures on flat land or outbuildings on flat ground, and up burn uphill more rapidly towards the bottom of a to 200 feet or more for sloped sites.. than down or across a slope; avoid tops of hills flat. Draws can serve as and draws. a chimney, creating more intense fires that spread rapidly with uphill drafts. Landscaping with Choose landscaping plants Create a firewise landscape around Idaho Firewise trees, mulch or that have a: your home, and other structures lots of vegetation • High moisture content using plants that are low growing, Firewise can lead a fire (redflower current) drought tolerant, high moisture Landscaping for directly to • High salt or soap content content, high salt or soap content, Horse Properties buildings (honeysuckle, soapwort, low oil or resin content and have saltbrush, mock orange) green stems. Visit the Idaho • Low growing, compact Botanical Garden’s form (creeping phlox, The defensible space of a firewise BLM Firewise stonecrop) landscape is divided into three Garden for on-the- • Low oil or resin content treatment zones that extend out ground ideas (clematis, flax) approximately 100 feet total from • Drought tolerant buildings. Fire resistance increases as Firewise (penstemon, globemallow) you get closer to your home, barn or Landscaping with • Green stems (succulents) outbuildings. vines and and small leaves (hops vine) groundcover

Flammable Remove items such as wood patio

2 | Page Developed by Alayne Blickle, Horses for Clean Water, with funding from the Southwest Idaho Resource Conservation and Development, 2013. Permission to reproduce is granted. Firewise Education – for Horse and Small Acreage Livestock Owners outdoor items can furniture, brooms, flowerboxes and catch an ember flammable doormats. Replace with and ignite non-flammable materials such as wrought iron patio furniture. Wooden or plastic Choose other types of If you have combustible fencing that fences burn and fencing when possible. It’s attaches to building or structures, can lead a fire to especially important to create a removable section such as a buildings avoid combustible fencing gate or panel that can be removed, when it attaches to left open or replaced with a non- buildings or structures. flammable barrier when there’s a threat of fire.

Combustible When building or planning Replace combustible sidings or roofs Firewise Building sidings or roofs new outbuildings choose with non-flammables. Materials like cedar shake, non-flammable materials wood, vinyl or such as metals for sidings Green roofs plastics can easily and roofs. Consider tile, catch fire brick or adobe – and green roofs, too! Crops, especially A is a 15’ to Create a firebreak, a buffer of Creating a when dried, such 30’ buffer of cleared cleared land, between combustible firebreak as corn, can land placed between crops and other structures easily burn combustibles and (buildings, fences, etc.) A firebreak structures can be a plowed or disked strip, a Forage kochia and dirt road, a path mowed down low or green possibly even a walking trail.

A green firebreak can be created by planting forage kochia, a highly nutritious, fire-resistance non- native. Cheatgrass and Cheatgrass is a Remove cheatgrass and dried weeds Reduce fire risk dry, weedy areas European invasive through grazing, mowing, prescribed with goats annual grass that burning or herbicide use. outcompetes native Where goats grasses and forbs for Grazing goats can be used to grazed fire burned moisture and water. remove potentially flammable slowly in Boise

3 | Page Developed by Alayne Blickle, Horses for Clean Water, with funding from the Southwest Idaho Resource Conservation and Development, 2013. Permission to reproduce is granted. Firewise Education – for Horse and Small Acreage Livestock Owners

Highly flammable when grasses, forbs and shrubs Foothills dry. Grazing goats in the Boise Foothills

Rangeland and Develop a grazing plan to Keep dried vegetation that is within dry land or open reduce fire risk on 100 feet of buildings and structures fields rangeland or dried fields. grazed low and green during fire seasons. Hay, bedding, Spontaneous Locate storage areas for Store hay, bedding and other Spontaneous large compost lies combustion is these materials away from livestock feed away from stables and combustion or livestock feed combustion without livestock, barns and other in a dry, covered area. Use a 15’ – external ignition structures. 30’ firebreak of cleared land, concrete pad, gravel driveway or dirt path.

Be sure hay is dry before storing; hay that is too moist may spontaneously combust. Propane & fuel Keep these items 30’ away from storage buildings, wood fences or structures; create a 10’ non-combustible zone around tanks; regularly clear out wind-blown debris and weeds from these areas. Dust and cobwebs Avoid spontaneous combustion and ignition sources by cleaning and minimizing dust and cobweb accumulations along building sides, in barns and under overhangs in all farm buildings Debris in gutters Clean roof surfaces and gutters to and on roofs remove leaves, branches or debris. Firewood, trash, Keep these materials a minimum of lumber, empty 15’ away from buildings or other feed sacks combustibles. Equipment and Avoid parking tractors and vehicles

4 | Page Developed by Alayne Blickle, Horses for Clean Water, with funding from the Southwest Idaho Resource Conservation and Development, 2013. Permission to reproduce is granted. Firewise Education – for Horse and Small Acreage Livestock Owners vehicles in or near the barn. Engine heat and backfires can spark a flame. Store machinery and other flammable materials outside the barn. Addition safety Inspect electrical systems Damage from rodents chewing on tips to help regularly and immediately electrical wiring or bird nesting prevent barn and correct problems. materials can quickly become a fire farm fires hazard. Put smoke detectors in Heat sensors should be hooked up to barns and buildings; place sirens to quickly alert you and your fire extinguishers near neighbors to a possible barn fire. doorways in barns, in vehicles and tractors. Keep fresh batteries in all detectors and alarms.

Check fire extinguishers annually and recharge as needed.

Post your property address at the entrance to your property so it’s clearly visible from the main road. Post emergency phone numbers including those of the barn manager, veterinarian, emergency response and other qualified horse handlers near a phone or in a central area. Keep your barn's street address clearly posted to relay to 911 or your community's emergency services near a phone or in a central area. Keep appliances in barn to

5 | Page Developed by Alayne Blickle, Horses for Clean Water, with funding from the Southwest Idaho Resource Conservation and Development, 2013. Permission to reproduce is granted. Firewise Education – for Horse and Small Acreage Livestock Owners

a minimum; reduce use of or carefully monitor electrical use in barns, such as heating lamps, extension cords, space heaters, water trough heaters, etc. Only use items such as stall fans, space heaters and radios only when someone is nearby or in the barn. Make certain fire trucks and Driveways should be an all-weather Driveway Access emergency vehicles can surface adequate for large, heavy for Emergency access your property; check vehicles; at least 12’ wide with a 2’ Vehicles for obstructing overhead clearance zone on either side (16’ utility lines, tree branches, total;) vertical clearance of 14’ ranch gates or signs, rocks recommended; sharp turns or other landscaping. discouraged; space for emergency vehicles to pass one another is recommended. Familiarize your horses and staff with emergency procedures and activities they might encounter during a wildfire. Keep aisles, stall doors, and barn doors free of debris and equipment for quicker access in and out in an emergency. Hold an annual meeting with neighbors, friends or other mutual interest groups to discuss fire contingency plans. Establish who will check on/help whom and which resources can be shared.

6 | Page Developed by Alayne Blickle, Horses for Clean Water, with funding from the Southwest Idaho Resource Conservation and Development, 2013. Permission to reproduce is granted. Firewise Education – for Horse and Small Acreage Livestock Owners

Take First Aid and CPR The American Red courses and keep the Cross offers manuals handy; the same classes on wildfire basic principles apply to protection, animals. Prepare a basic wilderness and First Aid kit that is portable remote first aid as and easily accessible. well as pet first aid Safety tips for Keep halters ready for your horse owners horses. Each halter should include the following information: • the horse's name • your name • your cell# • an additional emergency telephone number Place your horses' Coggins tests, vaccination history, identification photographs and other vital information—such as medical history, allergies, and emergency telephone numbers (veterinarian, family members, etc.)—in an envelope or notebook. Store the envelope with other important papers in a safe place that can be quickly reached or in a vehicle.

7 | Page Developed by Alayne Blickle, Horses for Clean Water, with funding from the Southwest Idaho Resource Conservation and Development, 2013. Permission to reproduce is granted.