Evacuating Livestock from a Wildland Fire

Four-Legged Evacuations

For many rural families, getting livestock evacuated adds an extra layer of planning in the event of a wildland fire. By livestock, we’re primarily talking about horses or 4-H and FFA project animals. Professional farmers and ranchers look at their livestock as assets and have years of experience caring for those assets and the equipment to do what is required in an emergency. The same can be said for stables and professional horse operations. They have the advantage of safely fenced open areas, horse trailers and other resources. Those who need the following guidelines are rural home owners with horses on the property.

Community Planning

Like the information on fire threatening your home, pre-planning makes the whole process easier. Some communities, usually following a major fire event, band together to develop a community evacuation plan for horses. This plan should include the following information and components:

• Information on the location and number of animals in the area, contact information for all owners, an inventory of horse trailers and tow vehicles.
• Identify animal rescue groups in your area as well as all available sites that can safely take evacuated animals. These sites should be considered safe from wild land fire danger.
• Identify all routes out of the area as well as into and out of horse properties.
• Information on any medical or physical conditions of all animals as well as the group dynamics for multiple horse owners. Horse owners know which of their animals will panic if not moved with a “buddy,” if a horse is dangerously aggressive with other horses, etc. This isn’t touchy-feely, chick information. Strangers loading animals in an emergency situation is hectic enough without setting off an equine war or panic attack. We may think of them as pets, but they outweigh us by a bunch.
• Identify staging areas for trailers, personnel and rescue agencies based on multiple fire scenarios as well as cell phone numbers of participants, both rescuers and rescuees.

Personal Pre-Planning

If a community plan for livestock evacuation isn’t in the cards for you, pre-planning is even more vital. You’re on your own, but can still reach out to agencies and  to provide help.

• If your immediate neighbors do not own horses, let them know what you expect them to do or not do if a fire threatens and you are not home. Remember, a frightened animal in the hands of a novice can be more dangerous than a fire.
• Keep a rope and halter with your name and phone number on an attached plate near the corral gate or stall door. If you have multiple horses, have enough halters and ropes available for each. Conventional nylon or leather halters are universally easy to handle; rope halters can look like string puzzles to those not familiar with them.
• Identify and make arrangements with friends and neighbors who can assist in an evacuation as well as public or private stables in your area. Familiarize yourself with local large animal rescue agencies. Let them know your location, the number of animals you own and any special requirements they may have, also provide your contact information. These could be your evacuation points or sources of trailers or both.
• Train all your horses to load in a variety of trailer configurations, if at all possible. If you own a horse trailer that will take all your animals and are always at home, don’t sweat it. If you have to rely on help, you won’t know what trailer will show up to save your horses. If you have a foal or new animal, teach them to handle well and load safely before their first fire season.
• Keep your vaccination records, registration papers and photos with other important papers. If you live near the border of another state and there is any chance your animals will be evacuated out of state, know what is required to cross state lines with horses or other livestock.
• Never padlock horse corrals or stall doors.
• If you feel comfortable riding and/or ponying your horses to safety, familiarize yourself with trails and access roads in all directions away from your home and preferably to a pre-determined location. If you don’t have experience ponying your animals, a fire evacuation is not the time to learn.

First Evacuation Phase

Now, we’ll walk you through the same three phases of evacuation we referred to on the family evacuation page, incorporating your horses into the scenarios. In the first phase, there’s a fire nearby and conditions are dangerous.

If you’ve developed a community evacuation plan, follow it.

• If you own a horse trailer that can evacuate all your horses, hook it to the tow vehicle and park the rig facing your exit. If you have time, load hay and other feed, necessary medications and supplements and tack as well. If the situation is such that your exit can be blocked by the fire, evacuate immediately. If the road to your property is narrow and choked with heavy brush, consider evacuating before the fire gets too close to that brush.
• If your horses are in a large pasture, move them into corrals or stalls. If they require leg wraps to travel, put them on.
• Depending on the conditions, you may want to simply whip through all three phases and evacuate. The options available to a tow vehicle and trailer loaded with horses and all of the above are much more limited than a single family vehicle. You’re not as mobile and you can’t just pull into a motel and wait the situation out.
• If you do not have a horse trailer, contact a pre-arranged friend, stable or rescue agency to let them know the situation. Depending on conditions, they may encourage you to evacuate your animals immediately to be on the safe side. Follow their advice.
• Accelerate your family and home preparations to evacuate.

Second and Third Phases: Evacuate

• If fire agencies declare a non-mandatory evacuation and you can trailer your horses out, evacuate. You’ve got too much to deal with to wait for the final order.
• Immediately notify your potential rescuer if you have no horse trailer or more horses than trailer space. They may assure you help is on the way and ask you to evacuate what you can immediately. One danger is congestion on narrow country roads, especially if some exit routes have been closed off. If you’re dealing with a rescue agency, follow whatever advice they give you.
• You need to be able to make a safe and sane decision about walking your animals on foot or riding them out of danger. If you have a clear route to safety and a nearby, pre-determined place to take them, this may work, assuming you have quiet, seasoned trail horses. If you have doubts or are not confident of your ability to handle this situation or your horse’s ability to handle the situation, don’t do it.

The theme that runs through phases one through three is simple: execute your evacuation plans with as much time as you can. Preparing yourself, your family and personal property and your horses for evacuation is a nerve-wracking experience at best. If done with time on your side, the whole process will go more calmly and more safely.

Tagged as: wildland fire livestock evacuation