I had the opportunity recently to speak with three people that went through the wild fires New Year’s 2022 in Colorado. If you are not aware of how that situation happened, it was a series of unfortunate events, that created a disaster both in urban and rural communities. First it was the dry conditions in the area, which hasn’t had moisture for several months, second was the wind, with gusts of over 100 mph and third was the fact that it started close enough to urban housing developments that it was unstoppable.
In densely populated areas, it’s unfortunate, but when one house catches fire, it’s inevitable that your neighbor’s home, your neighborhood and beyond will burn with these conditions. At the same time, the fire was burning in vacant fields with embers blowing forward to the next housing tract and so forth. I am over simplifying the terror these folks must have felt and recently experienced.
This is why I asked the question “How prepared are you?”.
Take a moment with each question below, sit quietly with each one. This is a good start to begin formulating your plan.
- What prompts you to consider preparing for an evacuation?
- How fast do you think you can evacuate yourself and your animals?
- What items are so important to you, that you would be aware and able to remove them with a 10-minute evacuation notice or less?
I’m sharing the following stories so that hopefully you can evaluate for yourself which situation you might be in at this moment and what you could or would do differently.
Story #1: This family lives about 8 +/- miles away from the evacuations and was not prepared to leave, did not have a plan other than to remove their household pets. They live in a housing tract. They may not have been aware of how quickly fire can travel within that distance; not being aware of the wind speeds or the direction the fire was moving, they made the decision to stay put until ordered otherwise.
Story #2: A person not directly impacted by this disaster, but lives in Colorado, was in contact with people being affected, watching on social media, news outlets and other sources as to what the impact was having on people and animals. They were aware enough to prepare “just in case” something happened in their local region as well, because, they are involved with the equine community, sharing information and other resources on social media; was how they felt they could help.
This is a picture I personally took of the fire line coming over the hill near a client’s home. I was on social media what seemed like all night trying to help others with resources. Would you be prepared to evacuate if this was your view?
Story #3: The third person had animals who would need to be evacuated. They were fully aware of the upcoming wind; watched the weather app and news reports about what was coming and kept constantly updated. In preparation for the possibility of a disaster (i.e., wild fire), they contacted several locations which might fit to take in the horses. This preparation was because in previous events, they knew that “when” a fire breaks out, the normal evacuation locations would be full almost immediately. There are a couple of reasons for this: the horses per capita in their county and in previous emergencies, people and animals were turned away. Their trailer and truck were prepared to leave immediately, animals brought in to smaller stalls, supplements and hay loaded, water buckets, halters ready and important items in the home prepared as well. The biggest problem they expected to encounter was the fact that one horse is a stallion.
Their situation happened rapidly for them. They believed that sanctuary was set up, but it fell through while in route. Now remember there where 100 + mph winds, pulling a horse trailer with horses in it; what would you do? Being prepared, they were able to find another location, and safely house all the horses. All ended well, because this person was prepared, had a plan and executed the plan with precision.
Can you relate with any or all of these stories? I hope that they make you think about your personal circumstances and situation.
Let’s revisit each of the three questions from and discuss how you can be prepared before an emergency happens.
#1 – What prompts you to consider preparing for an evacuation?
When you live in an area with high wildfire potential, are your preparations based on news reports, weather or immediate danger or the urgency to leave prompted by local officials informing you that you must evacuate? If you listen to and become aware of news reports, as in states of Colorado, California, Oklahoma among a few, the news warns of impending danger, typically for several days before the wind actually shows up. As horse owners, we need to be cognizant of these facts and start acting accordingly. Preparation is key to keeping you, your home, your valuables and animals safe. There are several things you can make sure are in your favor. First and foremost is a working truck and trailer. One of the first things you can do is to prepare your truck and trailer by hitching up, face them exiting your property, clean out flammable materials and begin loading items such as supplements, water buckets, equine first aid kit to name a few. Second would be to bring your animals into smaller stalls in preparation of an evacuation with halters and lead ropes at the ready.
If your area is subject to hurricanes, the news typically starts talking about the storm track 5– 7 days out and in some cases even longer. This is where downloading a weather app from a local news station can be extremely helpful. Once these announcements begin, you should begin your preparations to evacuate. If you leave too late, roads will most assuredly be clogged, and finding a location to house you and your animals may also be difficult. It’s important to prepare and evacuate early. What happens if the storm tracks differently than expected? Then you’ve enjoyed a few days’ vacation. But let’s look at the possibility it goes exactly as expected; where do you plan to go? Yes, social media groups have all kinds of resources and people offering pastures or stalls, but have you thought about equine camp grounds, fair grounds, equine event centers, veterinarian hospitals or other equine friendly locations? I also suggest that you have Equine ID Collars or EquestriSafe Fetlock ID Bands on your horses while away from home.
Maybe your area is affected by tornados; the statements above about weather apps, watching news reports, storm tracks, these things are all the same, with the exception of leaving your property. You can still prepare yourself and animals for the possibility of being affected by the weather. What typically happens with a tornado? We witnessed the devastation in several states at the end of 2021, deaths and destruction for hundreds of miles. The news covered the loss of life and property in urban areas, but what about fences being uprooted, barns destroyed and livestock killed or injured? One of the best ways to prepare your animals is by having identification on them before the storm hits, watching the weather and taking action. That way if fences are destroyed and your animals leave your property, they can be identified and you can be notified of their whereabouts. Some people have chosen to install storm shelters for their horses as well. If you have the means to do this, you still should have identification on your animals. Identification can be Horse ID Collars or Fetlock ID Bands and collars on your cats and dogs with your telephone number on them.
#2 – How fast do you think you can evacuate yourself and your animals?
You’ve been watching the news reports, following a weather app and; brought all the animals into a small safe area that is easily and quickly accessible. You’re prepared with halters for all animals; and decided to wait for officials to order your evacuation. Now you have 30 minutes to load and leave. Can you “get it done”?
Here I would like to speak directly to owners and managers of boarding facilities or those with several equines. Clients have told us, that when they are faced with a disaster, preparation is the key to safe, efficient and quick removal of all animals. Let’s explore what some of them have implemented in preparedness efforts. I hope they prompt you to be more prepared and begin to do things differently. Practicing and engaging in fire drills annually or semi-annually. They include and require their clients/ boarders involvement to halter all horses, load them in trailers and remove them from the property. They practice hitching trucks and trailers, loading horses into a variety of trailers and take a drive around the block. Test how long it takes. One of our customers, has preparations so well-oiled that with over 100 horses on their property, it takes them approximately 2 hours to remove all animals and leave. They have done so several times over the last couple of years. This includes haltering all animals, loading them, putting Identification ID collars on all of them as well before they are loaded and moved.
Exercises you can practice are loading horses in various unfamiliar trailers and having horses handled by unfamiliar people as well. Not unexperienced, but a person maybe unfamiliar with your horse and your horse being unfamiliar with the person. I make these suggestions because if you are not at available when your animals need to be evacuated, there is no telling what type of trailer the volunteers have. The more prepared you’ve made your animals the faster, safer and easier you make the situation.
Don’t let this happen to you:
#3 – What items are so important to you, that you would be aware and able to remove them with a 10-minute evacuation notice or less?
You probably went hmm at this question. Remember that in some cases you may only have time to get everyone up and dressed, grab your indoor animals (if possible), car keys and leave. What would you do with your outdoor animals?
As discussed above, if you’ve been watching the weather reports, news or weather apps and are aware of the possibility of a dangerous situation, then maybe you’ve already started preparing. Have you already loaded or staged your important ownership papers, fire proof safe, valuables, deeds for property, jewelry, computer or other important items? If not, you may be too late.
Who do you contact if you did in fact have to leave your animals? Do you know your local volunteer emergency response groups, animal control, sheriff’s department (and not 911)? These are important number to have in your telephone; join a group to help volunteer with even if it’s as simple as getting involved with your HOA.
Preparation does not come in one size fits all. It does however need to be specific to your local area, your personal situation and knowledge. The more you learn, the better prepared you will be and everyone will thank you.
Here are a few quick things to do today:
- Have a working truck and trailer
- Practice fire drills, loading horses by various people in a variety of trailers
- Download a weather app to your telephone
- Have a working battery-operated radio
- Purchase Identification for all your horses, dogs and cats
- Input your local telephone numbers for animal control, sheriff’s department or others
- Get involved somehow with your local emergency response team or other association and social media groups in your area
Lastly, be aware and get knowledgeable about evacuation locations in all 4 directions from your property. You never know when you may need to use them.
For a more extensive list of items, sign up to receive the 29 page eBook “What do I do with my animals for fire, flood & earthquakes” written by Stephanie Abronson.
