Preventing barn fires

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Radio interview source: Laurie Loveman, barn safety consultant

One of my worst nightmares is of our barn catching fire. We'd lose the sheep, goats, equipment, hay, and the building itself. Somebody might get hurt trying to fight it, too.

Ironically, many fires start by trying to cool the animals down. Laurie Loveman is a barn safety consultant, and says the number one cause of barn fires in the summer is inexpensive box fans that are only meant to be used in your house.

"These are extremely dangerous in barns," Loveman says. "Because the motors are not sealed, dust and dirt get into the motors, make them seize up and heat up, and then they catch fire, melt the whole plastic housing, and your barn is gone. Not only that, but nobody tells agricultural people that they need to have an agricultural or industrial-level fan."

The motors on these kinds of fans are sealed and are much less likely to catch fire.

Another problem with a cheap box fan is that the cord isn't heavy enough. A horse could chomp on it and out it goes. Loveman says she's pushing for United Laboratories to put a standardized label on fan cartons that says, "not for agricultural use".