The Horse Racing Fire Safety and Prevention Advisory Committee, put together by Supervisor Sarah Burger, includes 19 members from the horse racing industry, the Saratoga Springs Fire Department and Saratoga County emergency managers. It also includes Rebecca Husted, a firefighter and emergency equine rescue trainer from Macon, Ga., who holds a doctorate in animal physiology and has spent 30 years researching barn fires that killed animals of all kinds. 

“Everyone is interested in one goal, solving the problem into the future,” Husted said. “There is nothing worse than a barn fire. It sticks with you for the rest of your life. It’s awful, and we have to figure out how to avoid them. … I’d like to see no combustible construction everywhere.”

A devastating barn fire that killed 17 horses at Saratoga Casino Hotel Harness Track is now leading to a push for change. A Horse Racing Fire Safety and Prevention Advisory Committee has recently been formed.

“We cannot turn a blind eye to these barn fires in New York State or anywhere,” said Sarah Burger, the county supervisor for Saratoga Springs who created this committee.

Saratoga County Supervisor Sarah Burger said the response highlights the strength and compassion of the community.

“We learn that we have far more in common than different when we get together,” Burger said. “The compassion of the community, the city, and folks all over the world has been wonderful.”