EPISODE · Dec 28, 2022 · 58 MIN
S1 E4: Preparing for Bushfires as a Horse Owner with Sharon Merritt
from An Equine Conversation · host Sharon Merritt, Sarah Nickels
In this week’s episode, I chat with Sharon Merritt from Victoria’s Country Fire Authority, better known here as the CFA, on preparing for bushfire (or you might know it as wildfire events) when we own horses. This is something we feel strongly about having had friends and family impacted in some of the more recent major fire events in our Country and having had fire come close to where our horses live a number of times. While we had a very wet Spring in our part of the world, fires still happen, and all the vegetation growth brought on by the rain will be creating fuel load for future fires. Join us for invaluable information and actions to implement that we all need to be aware of and implement for our own and our horses safety. Important notes on this episode:This episode talks about preparing for fire when you own horses. While this is a hugely important topic and one that all horse owners need to be aware of, there may be material covered in this episode that is triggering, particularly for those who have been involved in past fire events. You are very important. Please take care of yourself and skip this episode if it’s too much for you.The recommendations contained in this episode are not the be-all and end-all of preparedness information. We are making recommendations based on past knowledge and experience however this will not cover every situation and every eventuality. Do not constrain your actions to what is mentioned in this podcast. Do your own research and work with your own local authorities to develop fire and emergency plans that are relevant to your situation.You may be wondering why we’re putting this episode out of the back of the La Nina wet season and floods we’ve had in Victoria and NSW here in Australia. While it’s so far shaping up to be a quieter Summer due to the weather, there will still be fires in the landscape. And, all this amazing grass and other vegetation growth that’s happened with the wet, will be creating even more fuel for future fires. The time to prepare for fires is when it is wet and cold – not when the hot and dry weather hits, or a fire is approaching. So please, take the time afforded to us by the wetter season and get your fire preparation happening in a big way.Sharon Merritt:Sharon has been a horse owner for over 60 years, moving through Pony Club, then Adult Riding Club and spent many years competing in various disciplines. With a horsie family, Sharon taught at Pony Club for many years and is currently the owner of a couple of older horses and a colt that she is starting.Sharon has been a CFA firefighter for 26 years, having been on the front line of fires, been in charge of crews, been the Incident Controller and been part of an Incident Management Team in most states of Australia and overseas. Sharon has spent many weeks at large fires including the Black Saturday fires in Victoria and the more recent 2019/2020 in Victoria and NSW.Sharon is involved in Technical Large Animal Rescue, which involves rescuing horses, cattle and other livestock when they become trapped in dams, creek, horse floats in car accidents, septic tanks etc. In this episode we discuss:2:21 - Important information before listening to this episode4:13 - Introducing Sharon Merritt5:29 - What is the Country Fire Authority (CFA) & what does it do6:49 - Why is it important to prepare for fire events as horse owners and carers8:50 - How can we prepare as horse owners and carers?The need for multiple fire plans that work in different scenarios10:31 - Importance of leaving earlyPreparing for leaving early and organising the destination you’re going to ahead of time11:51 - The need for Plan B & setting your horse up in the safest way possible13:39 - The paddock you want ready for your horse(s) to be in during days where fire is possible14:56 - Not restraining a horse in enclosed, indoor spaces during fire events15:15 - What horses will tend to do when fire is coming15:54 - Open internal gates, NOT external gates16:54 - Alternatives to an eaten-out paddock17:24 - What else we can do to prepare our properties18:04 - Context of Black Saturday impactThe need to have a good water source that can sustain a fire moving through19:33 - If your plan is to leave early but you have more horses than you can transport at once20:20 - Alternatives to horses eating out a paddock21:35 - Radiant heat & awareness of nearby forestImportance of having vegetation/trees around for our horses24:41 - Identifying your horse25:22 - What to protect besides our horses26:43 - Impact of road-blocks to accessing your horse/property28:03 - Get a Property Identification Code (PIC) or similar through Department of Agriculture29:27 - Fire truck access & availability30:17 - Considerations after the fire front has passed, ie. laminitis risk, tree roots burningChecking for contamination of water supply from fire-fighting materialsEmergency temporary fencingFirst Aid materials33:09 - Example of when we enacted our Fire Plan at Abbey’s Run in 2019/2020 fires37:44 - The risks of shifting horses location without planning for it ahead of timeExpectation from many public safe places to stay with horses, not leave themChallenge of float-loading horses when stressed and in a hurry39:52 - Risks with powerlines down - blocks and electrocution risk41:11 - The impact of shifting fire-fronts & new fires to where it is safe to relocate your horse41:53 - Horses ability to negotiate fire when set up well43:18 - Importance of training with our horses for our fire plans46:25 - Horses behaviour during fires47:27 - Avoiding putting humans at risk48:16 - The need to help for a long-time after fires49:50 - Top tips & what you can do right now52:26 - Connect with your local CFA or relevant authority & attend pre-season briefings or information sessions to learn more local information Links referenced by Sharon:Country Fire Authority - Horses and Bushfires information: https://www.cfa.vic.gov.au/plan-prepare/how-to-prepare-your-property/farms/horses-and-bushfiresDepartment of Agriculture Victoria - Property Identification Code information and applications: https://agriculture.vic.gov.au/farm-management/property-identification-codesDepartment of Agriculture Victoria - Horses and Bushfire information: https://agriculture.vic.gov.au/livestock-and-animals/horses/health-and-welfare/assessing-horses-after-bushfires/horses-and-bushfire Our links mentioned this episode: Sign-up to our email listStart Your Engines course+workshopAbbey's Run Equestrian websiteAbbey's Run Equestrian on Facebook Thank you to Matthew Bliss for podcast production & consultation. You can find out more about podcast support on offer via: Blissery.FM or email [email protected]
What this episode covers
In this week’s episode, I chat with Sharon Merritt from Victoria’s Country Fire Authority, better known here as the CFA, on preparing for bushfire (or you might know it as wildfire events) when we own horses. This is something we feel strongly about having had friends and family impacted in some of the more recent major fire events in our Country and having had fire come close to where our horses live a number of times. While we had a very wet Spring in our part of the world, fires still happen, and all the vegetation growth brought on by the rain will be creating fuel load for future fires. Join us for invaluable information and actions to implement that we all need to be aware of and implement for our own and our horses safety. Important notes on this episode: 1. This episode talks about preparing for fire when you own horses. While this is a hugely important topic and one that all horse owners need to be aware of, there may be material covered in this episode that is triggering, particularly for those who have been involved in past fire events. You are very important. Please take care of yourself and skip this episode if it’s too much for you. 2. The recommendations contained in this episode are not the be-all and end-all of preparedness information. We are making recommendations based on past knowledge and experience however this will not cover every situation and every eventuality. Do not constrain your actions to what is mentioned in this podcast. Do your own research and work with your own local authorities to develop fire and emergency plans that are relevant to your situation. 3. You may be wondering why we’re putting this episode out of the back of the La Nina wet season and floods we’ve had in Victoria and NSW here in Australia. While it’s so far shaping up to be a quieter Summer due to the weather, there will still be fires in the landscape. And, all this amazing grass and other vegetation growth that’s happened with the wet, will be creating even more fuel for future fires. The time to prepare for fires is when it is wet and cold – not when the hot and dry weather hits, or a fire is approaching. So please, take the time afforded to us by the wetter season and get your fire preparation happening in a big way. Sharon Merritt: Sharon has been a horse owner for over 60 years, moving through Pony Club, then Adult Riding Club and spent many years competing in various disciplines. With a horsie family, Sharon taught at Pony Club for many years and is currently the owner of a couple of older horses and a colt that she is starting. Sharon has been a CFA firefighter for 26 years, having been on the front line of fires, been in charge of crews, been the Incident Controller and been part of an Incident Management Team in most states of Australia and overseas. Sharon has spent many weeks at large fires including the Black Saturday fires in Victoria and the more recent 2019/2020 in Victoria and NSW. Sharon is involved in Technical Large Animal Rescue, which involves rescuing horses, cattle and other livestock when they become trapped in dams, creek, horse floats in car accidents, septic tanks etc.
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S1 E4: Preparing for Bushfires as a Horse Owner with Sharon Merritt
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