PRESS RELEASE
FEBRUARY 15, 2008

I keep records on media reports of barn fires and the animals lost in those fires. The financial and emotional losses are tremendous, but there is information available to prevent nearly every fire, and much of that information is posted on my website—at no charge—for anyone wanting to protect the animals in their care, whether for economic or emotional reasons.

In 2007, 870,984 Confined Animals Died in Preventable Fires.

February 15, 2008 – Chagrin Falls, Ohio: As reported to the media in 2007, the United States suffered 203 barn and other animal facility fires in which animals perished. This does not include the hundreds of barn fires in which all the animals were evacuated or where no animals wre involved, nor does my information include the large number of companion animals and birds who died in house fires. Of the 203 fires, only 4 were arson or suspicious. The remaining 199 fires were probably all preventable, since the fires in which the causes were determined were all preventable.

The largest numbers of animals killed, per fire, occurred in factory farms and took the lives of:

• 57,500 turkeys and turkey chicks
• 35,820 ducks, ducklings, geese and goslings
• 619,882 hens and chicks
• 4,902 pigs and piglets

In other livestock facility fires, mainly dairy farms and horse barns, these animals died:

• 304 horses
• 423 dogs (family pets, farm dogs, puppy mill dogs, and dogs in animal hospitals, shelters, and pet shops)
• 387 cats (family pets, barn cats, cats in animal hospitals, shelters and pet shops)
• 664 cattle and calves
• 103 sheep and lambs
• 202 goats and kids

In pet shop fires, 487 small mammals, 70 birds, and 220 reptiles died.
Twenty wild animals died in zoo fires.
In an unusual incident, 150,000 fish were killed in a barn fire at a fish farm.

Can we save animals from death by fire? Absolutely! Every governmental jurisdiction should adopt as an Ordinance, the National Fire Protection Association’s 2007 Edition of NFPA 150 Standard on Fire and Life Safety in Animal Housing Facilities for use in all new construction of commercial animal housing facilities, and everyone who cares about keeping their animals safe from fire should visit www.firesafetyinbarns.com.

A major concern during the winter months is the use of heat lamps, usually for providing extra warmth to newborns. Heat lamps and portable heaters in barns are disasters waiting to happen. During the summer fires are often caused by the use of residential-type box fans in barns whose motors are not sealed. Dust gets into the housing, heats up and ignites, setting the fan—and then the barn—on fire. Get more information, including a warning sign for retailers to post, at www.firesafetyinbarns.com.

Laurie Loveman is an officer in the Highland Hills (Ohio) Fire Department and consults on equine facility fire safety. She is a state-certified fire inspector and has a B.S. degree in Fire and Safety Engineering from the University of Cincinnati. With over 40 years experience in the horse industry and more than 20 years in the fire service, she has written many articles for equine and fire service publications.

Contact:
Laurie Loveman
440-543-1640
barnfires@alltel.net