SPREC Wildfire Evacuation Plan

Purpose:
To ensure the safety of all horses, staff, boarders, and property in the event of a wildfire by establishing a clear, efficient evacuation process. This document is meant as a guideline for the process of an emergency evacuation for boarders to understand what is happening and when. We will be implementing a Ready-Set-Go type program.

Please Note: This is a framework. There is no way to predict the exact location, nature, time, path or speed of a wildfire. Using this document as a guideline will aid in speeding the process and making clear the steps for evacuation. The real-life scenario will be something different, but using this guideline will set us all up for the greatest possible success.

1. Emergency Contact Information

Emergency Coordinator (Barn Manager): Andrea Mahaffey – 970.481.0251
Back-Up Coordinators: Alison Corn – 409.382.8900 / Leah Halder – 970.761.5610
Nearest Emergency Shelter for horses:
- North: Steamboat Rodeo Grounds OR Moffat County Fairgrounds (Craig)
- South: Hwy 40 – Grand County Fairgrounds (Kremmling)

HorseAlert.org

HorseAlert.org is an equine evacuation website that offers horse owners the opportunity to request an evacuation driver and trailer should they not have a trailer to transport their horses. It also offers trailer owners the opportunity to be on the list for requested evacuations so that you may go help rescue horses in need of transport.

The barn manager is registered with HorseAlert.org in order to request more transport for our horses as we do not have enough trailers to transport all horses at one time. If you are not already registered with Horse Alert and have the page bookmarked on your phone, please do so. If you have a trailer, I recommend registering as a driver if you wish to help others in the situation where we are safe but someone else needs help.

2. Evacuation Levels

Level 1: Pre-evacuation – Be Alert – Fire present within 20 miles – Monitor air quality and fire reports, start assessing and preparing human and horse resource and make sure all staff & boarders are on standby.
Level 2: Ready – Fire Activity Threatening – Fire activity has moved towards the equestrian center. Be start preparing and staging resource and bring the level of alert up for all drivers and boarders. Drivers ready to be on site within 45-60 minutes of the call to level 2.
Level 3: Set – Be Ready – All trailers, horses, staff, and resources prepped and ready to depart within 30 minutes of the call to a Level 4 Evacuation.
Level 4: Go – Begin full-scale evacuation. Official order to evacuate may not be in effect, the equestrian center will likely evacuate before the city or county puts out that order as we take longer and are more logistically complicated to organize.

3. Order of Evacuation Operation

Level 1 Evacuation – Pre-Evacuation

Threat has been Determined to Exists – If a fire arises within 20 miles of the Sidney Peak Equestrian Center a Level 1 – Pre-Evacuation status will be initiated by the Emergency Coordinator/ barn manager. This is a wait and watch situation, the barn manager will closely monitor all information sources to determine the level of threat to the equestrian center and to put all boarders & drivers on standby to increase the evacuation level or release the threat level.

Here are the actions involved for a level 1 – Pre-Evacuation:

Call to Trailer Drivers/Owners – Barn manager will contact all Trailer Drivers/Owners via group text to inform of a Level 1 Pre-Evacuation Status. Drivers will not need to do anything at this point except be ready to move to a level 2 – Set evacuation status. We recommend preparing your vehicle with any essential items you may need including snacks, plenty of water, blankets, changes of clothing, etc. It is possible once the evacuation order is given it can come quickly and leave you very little time to be prepared. Having food, water, warmth and clothing in your vehicle or trailer and ready to go will greatly improve your chances at a smooth and safe evacuation. Please also note that if the barn is evacuating there is a good chance that you may have to also evacuate your home. Please coordinate with your partner or children for who is going where and be prepared if you intend to be a driver for the horses at the barn. Again, things can happen quickly and having a go-bag, vehicle(s) prepared, etc. can greatly increase your chances at a swift and successful evacuation. A pre-evacuation status is the time to get everything ready just in case and hope that you never have to use your well thought out and orchestrated plan.
1. Contact All non-driver boarders – Barn manager will contact all boarders via text to let everyone know that a level 1 pre-evacuation has been initiated. Boarders do not need to do anything at this point except know that the manager and staff are monitoring the situation and to expect communications until the level 1 has been lifted or has progressed to a level 2.
1. Prepare Staff & Support – Barn manager will contact the requisite staff to prepare them for the potential increase to a level 2. Discussions of resources, routes, etc. will be initiated with the knowledge that those plans may change as this is very early in the evacuation stage.
1. NOTE: A Level 1- Pre-Evacuation will likely persist for multiple days possibly upwards of a week or weeks.

Level 2 – Ready

Fire Activity Threatening & Determination of possible Future Evacuation – If the fire activity becomes a threat due to growth, wind direction/speed, etc. Barn manager will initiate a Level 2 Evacuation status. A Level 2 Evacuation status will be reached if a fire reaches within 10 miles of the equestrian center or if there is a moderate/severe wind/weather event in the direction of the barn or other such circumstance.

Actions involved for a level 2 – Ready:

Contact Drivers – Drivers will be texted by the barn manager in a group text to let them know that a Level 2 status has been reached.
1. Driver’s Confirm Readiness – All Drivers will be requested to confirm receipt of the text and confirm that they are ready to be at the equestrian center between 45-60 minutes of reaching a Level 2 Evacuation Status.
  1. NOTE: This does not mean drivers need to be at the barn, they just need to be ready to be at the barn within an hour.
  1. Home Trailers- If you have a trailer at home that you intend to bring to the barn, this is the time to hook them up and be ready to pull out of the driveway. Again, make sure that you have water, food, clothing and blankets in your vehicle or trailer.
1. Staff Preparations – The Emergency Coordinator/ Barn manager will review next steps and protocols with key staff to ensure that everyone is prepared to execute an evacuation if necessary. Each staff member’s role will be reviewed and staff will be asked to go prepare anything that they need to at home so that they can be present and ready at the equestrian center. Normal operations may be halted at the equestrian center at this time if it is deemed prudent by the barn manager.
1. Barn Manager Prep – barn manager will review available resources, reconfirm trailer assignments, routes, locations, etc. to be sure that, if need arises, they are ready to execute the Level 3 and 4 evacuations. Staff will be assigned a role for the evacuation levels 3 & 4 should that be needed and the manager will go over all the steps that they will need to take and what support they will have with them.

NOTE: A level 2 can also persist for extended periods of time. If your status changes as far as your readiness to be in action to the barn changes, please let the emergency coordinator/ barn manager know so that they can plan around the resources available. If the Level 2 is a prolonged period, the Emergency Coordinator/Barn Manager may reach out to check in and ensure you are ready either periodically or when fire activity increases.

Level 3 – Set

Get Ready to Go – If we feel that a fire could reach the barn within 4 hours (i.e. severe fire activity, wind events, or migration of the fire to within 10 miles of the equestrian center, etc.) a Level 3 – Set Evacuation Status will be initiated. This is a calling in of drivers, staging of all resources, calling in owners and volunteers and getting ready to depart should it be needed. Once we reach a level 3 and all drivers are at the barn, connected, horses pepped, etc. the first vehicle should be ready to pull out of the barn within 30 minutes of the order to a level 4- Go status.

NOTE: Normal barn operations will completely halt except for food and water for the horses. We will not permit riding to happen at the barn during this time.

Actions involved in a Level 3- Set Status:

Call in Drivers – Emergency Coordinator/ Barn manager will text to bring in trailer drivers to arrive within 45-60 minutes.
1. Driver’s Confirm en-route – Drivers will be requested to confirm that they are on their way to the barn via text. Barn manager will mark on the evacuation sheets that the driver has confirmed that they are on their way so that we know exactly what resource we have and still need.
1. **Center of Operations (Incident Command)** will be located in the office during a Level 3 – Set evacuation status. This will change to being outside at the picnic table in front of the hitching post on the east side of the barn when moved to a Level 4- Go. The Barn manager will remain as much as possible at that location so that they are easy to find and can coordinate all the moving pieces and parts/stay up to date on the fire status.
1. Prepare Staff – Barn Manager will gather staff after texting drivers and begin setting them up with their positions, tasks and how they will execute the evacuation orders for a level 3 & level 4 evacuation. Any pertinent documents will be handed out to staff & volunteers and all will wear name tags with their assigned role on them to be clear to all what they are responsible for.
  1. Staff & Volunteers will move all Pasture horses to the barn side of the property and put in the outdoor arena until the order is downgraded or moved to a level 4.
  1. Staff will begin collecting resources per the runner & volunteer tasks sheet.
    1. All Trailers will have at a minimum 2 bales of hay & 3 water buckets that will be given to them to bring on their vehicle/trailer. There are additional resources that we will be giving out as needed and will be listed on the driver sheets.
  1. Volunteers will be assigned to staff leads or tasks as they arrive by the Emergency Coordinator/Barn Manager.
1. Prepare horses- All horses will have halters on and lead ropes staged next to the gate. If we have emergency ID collars, those will be put on every horse. If we do not have emergency collars, duct tape with the barn name and phone number will be put on every horse’s front right hoof. The Emergency collars will have Sidney Peak’s information on the collar.
1. Request Additional Resource – If Level 3 is progressing quickly toward level 4 or if the barn manager determines that there is a need, HorseAlert.org evacuation request will be issued to gain as many trailer transports as possible to carry the horses that do not have a trailer assigned to them. This will be executed by the Emergency Coordinator/ Barn Manager or Backup Coordinators (Alison Corn or Leah Halder). Please do not take it upon yourself to initiate this for your horse, it will prevent the barn as a whole from moving as many horses as possible and will confuse the departure.
1. As Drivers Arrive – Attach to their trailers & stay put! Do not move trailers from the line up. Turn engines off and check in with the Emergency Coordinator/ Barn manager located in front of the hitching post on the east side of the barn.
  1. Drivers will each get a check-in sheet with all the pertinent information they need such as the horses in addition to their own that will be in their trailer, destination address and directions, alternate route information should the primary route be closed off, resources that they have been assigned, etc. The Manager will have a condensed version of that sheet that they will have to track who is where with what.
1. Drivers with trailers brought in from home – Please pull your trailer around the barn and park in front of the paddocks facing the road (see map at the bottom of this document). Do not block the gates to the paddocks. If you are uncertain where to go, please check with the Barn Manager.
1. Wait and watch – We wait in this situation for as long as needed. Please be prepared to be in this status for a number of hours until either the threat is lifted or we move to a level 4-Go evacuation. Please be sure to bring food for yourself as this process could take a while.

Level 4 – GO!!

Full Evacuation – If it is determined that the possible threat to the equestrian center is now an imminent threat to the equestrian center, a Level 4- Go evacuation status will be reached. This does NOT mean panic and leave at once, this order will be given as early as reasonably possible and has an order of operations for the process. Please stay calm and follow directions to ensure the best and smoothest possible evacuation. Nothing will derail, delay and cause harm to a smooth and efficient evacuation than someone not following orders!

Horse Loading Initiated – At this stage, all volunteers and staff will know what trailers and horses they are assigned to and will locate themselves appropriately. There will be a load lead that orchestrates the volunteers, owners & drivers and coordinates what horse goes where. Basically we will do this in trailer groups with 1 person who manages the operations of the loading of those trailers. Please wait for your instructions and do not just grab horses.
1. Horse lead will direct what trailer is being loaded and ask volunteers to retrieve the horses. Drivers may only retrieve their own horse and should not retrieve other horses besides their own so that they can pull away quickly when full.
1. Volunteers will be assigned 1 horse for each trailer to depart and to load.
1. Horse loading lead will release a trailer when full.
1. Driver to check in with the Emergency Coordinator/Barn Manager as they depart and reconfirm details of destination, route, and horses on-board.
1. Destination Lead Departs – Alison or Leah will depart with the first trailer to the destination. Upon Arrival at the destination they will set up a check in for all drivers and set up a spot of operations.
1. Horses Not Evacuated – If the circumstance arises where we cannot evacuate a horse due to not enough trailer space, fire moving too quickly to safely evacuate or a horse that we cannot load. The below are actions that will be taken to give the horse the greatest possible chance or survival:
  1. Remove halters (fire / getting stuck hazard)
  1. Ensure Emergency ID collar in place
  1. Close Barn so horses do not run inside
  1. Open up all gates to paddocks and property
  1. Leave food and water out and available.
1. Owner Contact Delay – Please be aware at the Go level the manager will not be prioritizing owner communications. All energy and efforts will be invested in the smooth evacuation of our horses and humans. The manager will not respond to text as all resources will be on the ground on site and no phone communication will be needed except for official orders from the city/county/fire/police. If you text the barn manager once a Level 4- Go order is initiated, they will not text you back. After horses are in route and humans have left the premises and are safe, the barn manager will give an update. This update may be hours after the evacuation.

At Destination

Once you have arrived at the planned destination:

Check in with the on-site Manager – Most likely Leah or Alison.
1. On-Site Manager texts arrivals to the Emergency Coordinator/ Barn Manager to confirm arrivals
1. Leave horses on Trailers – In case we need to move again we do not want to take a bunch of horses off trailers and try to load them up again. They need to stay where they are until someone in charge tells you to unload them.
1. Follow instructions – At this point there are a number of things that could happen from staying in the trailer for a few hours and returning to setting up a space away from home for the horse’s to stay to moving to a new location. Please wait for instructions coming from the Barn Manager or Backup Coordinators.

4. Evacuation Additional Information & Detail

Below are more details regarding various components of the evacuation process that may be helpful for all to know and understand.

Horse Identification & Equipment

All horses must have:
- Halters with removable lead ropes. Preferably a leather or breakaway halter for the trailer.
- Sidney Peak Staff will attach emergency neck collars to the horses, if we have them, with Sidney Peak’s information on them. We will not be able to put on horse specific ID collars on each horse with that horse’s name, etc. Time may be of the essence and attaching these items quickly and easily is paramount.
- If, for any reason, we do not have collars for a horse, duct tape or grease pencil will be used to write Sidney Peak’s name and phone number on hooves or flanks.
- Photos and description of horses are on file in Stable Secretary if needed. We recommend keeping a set of identifying photos on your personal phone as well (from both sides, front, and back, highlight any markings like socks, blaze, etc.).

Staging & Loading Zones

Trailers staging
- On site trailers – Will be left in place until they are ready to depart. If you need to pull your trailer forward for loading purposes please do so immediately upon arrival and then park and turn off your engine.
- Trailers arriving from homes – Will be parked along the paddocks facing the street (pull around the barn from the west side and drive all the way around to be facing out in front of the paddocks between the private runs and paddocks. Do not block gates.
- Overflow trailer Parking – Any trailers that do not fit in the alleyway next to the paddocks will be parked on the grass on the front lawn facing Rabbit ears with enough space between trailers to be able to depart without having to move other trailers.

Transport & Horse Assignments

Trailers will be pre-assigned horses to carry on top of their own horse/s. Drivers will be given that information by the barn manager or runners upon arrival.
- PLEASE NOTE- if you have a trailer that is full with your two horses, please still wait and be sure to bring needed resources, etc. with you and please wait for the process to unfold. We would be grateful if you did not just load your horses and leave.
Evacuation Destinations, routes and alternative routes will be provided upon arrival at the Equestrian Center by the Emergency Coordinator/ barn manager. The details will be noted on your driver sheet that will be given to you upon arrival.
Resources will be loaded by drivers and any bystanders that are available. Please load up hay, water buckets, lead ropes and any other resources that the barn manager assigns. Staff should be or have staged the resources you need next to your vehicle, please do not go get resources on your own without checking with the manager first. If everyone tries to get their own things it can create more problems then help.

Horse’s Ability to Load

Priority of loading is Easy Loaders First: Easy Trailer loaders will be loaded first onto trailers. Time may be of the essence and loading the easy loaders fist will ensure the quickest possible departures.
Horses that refuse to load – We will make every effort possible to load your horse, using force as much as needed without injuring a horse. However, we will not spend more than 30 minutes trying to load any single horse unless all other horses are loaded and there is still time.
Practice before you need it!!! I cannot encourage horse owners enough to practice getting your horse in a trailer regularly. Having trained your horse to be comfortable getting in and out of trailers will greatly increase your horse’s chances of being safely evacuated.

5. Sheltering Locations

Location will be determined based on available routes. North locations include Steamboat Rodeo Grounds or Craig Fairgrounds & South location includes the Kremmling Fairgrounds. Please read your instructions on your driver sheet and reconfirm your destination before you depart.
- North: Steamboat Rodeo Grounds: 401 Howelsen Pkwy, Steamboat Springs, CO 80487
- North: Moffat County Fairgrounds: 640 E Victory Way, Craig, CO 81625
- South: Grand County Fairgrounds: 210 11th St, Kremmling, CO 80459

Please be aware, the location we go to on any given day may be different than the ones indicated above. The information provided by the Barn Manager is where you are going, please follow those directions which will be provided to you at the Level 3-Set stage of evacuations.

6. Staff & Boarder/Volunteer Roles

Emergency Coordinator: Barn Manager OR Backup Coordinators – Oversees evacuation and communication with authorities. Acts as incident command.
Backup Coordinators: Individuals assigned to be second in command of the on-site operations of the evacuation when the manager is present. If the barn manager is not on site, one of the backup coordinators will be reassigned the role of Emergency Coordinator. As of the writing of this document (August 8, 2025) the Backup Coordinators are:
- Alison Corn
- Leah Halder
Drivers : Individuals driving trailer with horses from Sidney Peak to the determined location.
- Responsibilities include connecting trailer, loading resources into vehicle and trailer, assisting others in loading resources in trailers.
- Once Level 4 evacuation begins, the driver needs to stay with the vehicle and is requested to not help other trailers unless requested by the on-site loading lead assigned to their trailer.
Runners: Relays information from Emergency coordinators to on site drivers & volunteers. As the Emergency coordinator needs to stay in once place, the Runners are the arms of the Emergency Coordinator and relays official information.
Staff & Volunteers (non-drivers): Staff and Volunteers will be assigned a role by the Emergency Coordinator and will be assigned to a higher level individual such as a backup coordinator or trailer loading lead. Please stay with your assigned lead unless otherwise reallocated. Responsibilities include but are not limited to haltering horses, assists with loading, manages barn areas, directing traffic, etc.

7. If You Cannot Evacuate in Time or There are Not Enough Trailers

As of the writing of this document (August 8, 2025) we do not have enough trailer space for all of our horses. Depending on the timing of an evacuation we are anywhere from 5-10 + trailer spots short. We will utilize as best as possible friends & people in the area with trailers as well as the HorseAlert.org site to move the other horses, however, we cannot guarantee we will have someone to move your horse if you do not have a trailer yourself.

This means that there is a distinct possibility that, if you do not have a trailer, that your horse may not be able to be transported or evacuated off site. We will do everything in our power to keep your horse safe and get them moved.

There may also arise the circumstance that, despite planning and people working hard, that the fire will move too quickly to safely extricate the horses in time. It will be at the emergency coordinator/ barn manager’s sole discretion to determine if we need to abandon evacuation and save the human lives at stake. This decision will not be taken lightly and will only occur in the most grave and dangerous of circumstances where the decision has to be made to save the horse or save the human and saving both is not achievable.

If the circumstance arises that we cannot move your horse in time, the following will take place:

Remove halters (they can catch embers and light on fire or catch on obstacles and trap the horse)
Ensure horse has reflective neck collar or has Sidney Peak name and number written on duct tape on each front hoof.
Open gates where horses are kept and to the property so they can escape flames
Leave water and food if possible

8. After the Fire

Do not return until authorities declare it safe – The Barn Manager will be responsible for coordinating with the authorities to determine if it is safe to return .
Barn manager will return prior to bringing horses back to determine safety of the property.
Manager will disseminate plan after property assessment is made

Stay calm, act quickly, FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS and prioritize safety.

Resources

Other resources that can be helpful in wildfire and some incidents:

InciWeb: https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/ – Provides up to date information on current wildfires including location, size, fuels, containment, resources allocated currently to the fire, etc.

Frontline Wildfire: https://www.frontlinewildfire.com/colorado-wildfire-map/ – A good map of the wildfire but does not include information on resources, containment, etc. that Inciweb has.

Air Now: https://fire.airnow.gov/#5.51/39.66/-102.801 – Provides current fie information, smoke plume maps, and air quality information.

Go Bag Emergency Evac Kit – https://www.ready.gov/kit- This is a little checklist that can help you personally get ready to go in the case of a wildfire. I recommend that everyone have a Go-bag ready with the bare essentials for living away from home with short notice. The same website offers basic plans on a being prepared for wildfires: https://www.ready.gov/wildfires