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If something happens here in the house, I have a plan. My dog goes on a leash and the cats go into carriers that are ready to move on a dolly.
But the horses are outside and I can't see or smell what is happening down there so there needs to be another layer of planning for that. Maybe we need to make rounds for the next week or so, too. Usually, we expect the horses' owner to look out for their own animals. But in this climate, that no longer makes sense to me. 
you won't see or smell (unless you get a videocam monitor) but will hear every movement and even breath.
I put one in my barn for a while years ago when I had some neighbor fears. Amazing how loud some snore 
They can carry for several hundred feet as I recall.
And they may be out of range for a monitor. But still, the monitor is not a bad idea for "hearing" outside better than I do now. 
...may not come forth on the fifth"
. .
(Heard that one years ago, and it still tickles me!--I know, I'm easily amused.....)
here in Western Washington, it hasn't stopped raining yet. 
Have a couple buckets of water and make some oxy acetylene bombs. That way you don't have to worry about flaming debris landing a quarter mile away...
All you need is an open area the explosion will blow any fire out that starts....
They are more fun anyway
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Was a firefighter for a number of years when I was a young man, and simply marveled at the stupidity of some folks when it comes to fire. "Hey, it's hot, dry and windy outside, perfect time to burn the garbage!"
Saw far too much of that kind of idiocy.
Had lots of fun as a firefighter, but also some nightmares. There are certain sights, sounds and smells I will never forget.
Following your subthread above, have you thought about installing a sprinkler system in your barn? If you can do basic plumbing it really isn't that hard to do.
The 3 year Drought in West/Central Arkansas is deepening,
and the outlook for any Drought Breaking weather systems is not good.
We have had a Burn Ban in effect for 2 months,
and it is worse to our west in Oklahoma.
Our district has been lucky.
We have not had to go out in this heat and fight any fires (yet),
but we are all jumpy every time the pager goes off.
There has been an increase in Heat Related First Responder calls.
The area is Tinder Dry, and (unlike last year) county and state officials are very serious about enforcing the Burn Bans, INCLUDING Fire Works. They have issued Public Notices over the TV and radio that they WILL have officers on patrol with orders to arrest violators of the Burn Ban.
Most of the public has heeded the warnings,
The grass & weeds on our little place are dead and dry.
There won't be a 2nd Hay Cutting this year,
raising the price of hay to feed cattle over the Winter.
Last year, many Cattle Farmers in this area started selling off their cattle since it cost too much to feed them.
The sparks from a small hand grinder I was using to sharpen a mower blade ignited the grass where the sparks fell last week. I was ready for it, but the ease and quickness of ignition scared me.
It popped into flame like Magician's Flash Paper.
The ground crunches and crinkles when we walk.
We are fortunate to have a spring fed well with which we irrigate our Berry and Veggie crops,
but we made a conservation decision to not try and water the fruit trees,
so no Peaches this year. There will also not be a clover crop for the Honey bees.
We will have to feed them.
Some of the Oak Trees are already shutting down (going dormant) to survive.
Many did this last year, and I don't know how many consecutive years they can do this.
My wife and I are already making changes to our planting calender and crop selections to include more early producing/ heat resistant hybrids, and planting an early crop that in past years would have been lost to Spring frost.
In past years, we planted only Heirlooms, but changed our mind since the standard heirlooms for our area are not able to cope with the current conditions.
We are planting early ripening heat tolerant hybrids this year and having better results.
This week, the HEAT is really setting in with record temps being reported.
The Old Timers here say this happens from time to time, and remissness about the drought of 54, but this provides little comfort when RECORD temperatures are being reported almost daily.
If THIS is the New Normal,
we are ALL in a lot of trouble.
I'm sure we could swap stories that are full of dark humor and wonderment at the idiocy of human beings(you decided to burn your garbage a day that was dry with winds running at forty mph?), and perhaps we should sometime. Being a volunteer was a blast, but I wouldn't want to do it at my age now.
I'm one state north of you, in Missouri, and are having the same problems you are, drought that has been going on for a long time, dry crunchy grass, the whole bit. I have to reach back to 1980 to find a summer comparable with this one.
We decided in the winter not to do a garden this year, let the garden go fallow for a year, add some manure and compost to revitalize it. I'm glad we did. I am watering my trees however, the oldest are eight years, the youngest planted last year, and they really can't go without water.
Next year, hopefully(depends on whether I get a classroom teaching job or not), I'm going to be putting in both a well and a cistern system to collect rainwater from the house and outbuildings, along with an irrigation system coming off of that. Going to power it all with a windmill, should be real cool by the time I get done.
I've thought about going with hybrids, but think I'll stick with heirlooms for now.
Stay cool and safe down there, and have a great Fourth.
The Number ONE killer of Fire Fighters is Heart Attacks.
I'm too old to hump hoses and work on the squirty end in full turnouts and SCBA,
but I still get a kick out of hustling a 40 year old Pumper Truck with a thousand gallons of water over these Arkansas back roads, but even THAT is is getting to be too much in this heat.
The economy and lack of jobs has forced many of the young people in this area to stay home, and a few of them are showing up at our department to help. We are glad to see them.
It won't be long before I'm one of those old guys with a Scanner Radio
who fights fires vicariously through the radio chatter from my kitchen chair.
....and I'm OK with that.
