N.Y. panel to study racetrack fire safety regulations

The New York State Gaming Commission has put together a panel to review its regulations regarding fire suppression and prevention in the wake of a fire that killed 17 horses at the Saratoga harness track earlier this week.

The panel was announced on Thursday, one day after two state legislators introduced a bill that would require modern fire-suppression systems in barns. The Tuesday morning fire at the Saratoga harness track engulfed a barn that did not have sprinkler systems or other fire-suppression systems.

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“We are conducting an immediate top-to-bottom review of fire prevention methods currently in place at barns and determining what more can be done to prevent such a tragedy from reoccurring,” said Brian O’Dwyer, the chairman of the NYSGC.
The review will include the equipment and protocols in place at all 11 Thoroughbred and harness tracks in the state.

Current statutes require all facilities at a racetrack to comply with the building codes of their localities. According to the commission, compliance with those codes is determined by evidence provided on the license applications submitted annually to the commission.

At Saratoga Race Course, the Thoroughbred track adjacent to the harness track, all of the barns and backstretch dormitories have modern fire-suppression systems as well as fire alarms, according to the commission. The Thoroughbred track also has security personnel and trained fire inspectors on site 24 hours a day.

The panel put together by the commission will be headed by Martin Mack and include fellow commissioners Peter Moschetti and Jerry Skurnik. According to the commission, the panel will examine the circumstances of the June 16 fire at the harness track, conduct a systemic review of fire prevention methods, and present its findings to the full commission.

The commission also urged existing racetracks to conduct their own reviews of their fire-suppression equipment and policies “as soon as possible.”

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