A non-profit organization is working to ensure future generations of farmers are safety-savvy.
Agriculture for Life, based out of Calgary, has focused on agriculture education and rural and farm safety since its inception in 2011.
The organization ran a host of activities and launched a new first aid program, during Canadian Agriculture Safety Week, from March 13 – 18.
Marketing and communications co-ordinator Kaley Segboer said the Farm First Aid program was formed in partnership with St. John’s Ambulance and is designed for anyone from age 13 to adult. Though participants will leave with standard Level C first aid, the two-day course is different from standard first-aid training because it also comes with a certificate in handling farm emergencies, she said.
“Throughout the whole first aid course you’re going through scenarios, situations, and discussing injuries that are commonly found on the farm, and some of the challenges of performing first aid in rural and remote areas,” said Segboer.
The program goes hand-in-hand with Ag for Life’s existing Young Farm Workers Safety program, she said, which is aimed at junior high and high school students.
Students participate in hands-on sessions and take in some classroom time, learning how to handle situations on the farm.
“They will also tour different facilities and farms,” said Segboer. “They’re learning the skills that they can use on the farm or working in rural Alberta.”
Lessons include the hows and whys of using personal protective equipment, and the importance of ensuring everything fits properly, she said. During some sessions, Ag for Life’s founding partners, ATCO Gas provides information on what to do in the case of hitting power or gas lines – what to do, what could happen, and how to prevent it, she said.
“With power lines it’s pertinent on the farm, moving augers and equipment, but it also applies to a number of different work in construction or oil,” said Segboer. “These are lessons they can carry on into their lives, whether they are farming or not.”
At the elementary school level, Ag for Life offers Rural and Farm Safety Days, where students participate in a half-day program hosted in schools or community centres. The program sees students travel between different interactive stations for 10 to 20 minutes each and play games or do other safety-related activities, she said.
A “Hazard Hunt” game teaches children what is safe and what to avoid, and has them working out puzzles or questions using their critical thinking skills, she said.
There is also a water safety component, which reminds students not to play around or near dugouts, and segments that teach children how to behave around large animals and equipment, she said.
“It all applies to the kids living on farms and ranches, but also a lot of those safety things apply to kids just growing up in rural Alberta,” said Segboer.
To enhance the delivery of safety programs, Ag for Life is currently developing its first Farm Safety Mobile Unit, which will roll out to Alberta communities this fall.
“We’ve noticed with our delivery of Young Farm Workers what else we can do to help support our future farmers and ranchers, and help them develop skills,” said Segboer. “This is a trailer that will have a number of hands-on modules, touch-screen learning activities that students can participate in.”
The Farm Mobile Safety Unit will travel to a number of communities to bring educational activities to an even wider audience of rural Albertan children, she said.
It will be launched in conjunction with a farm safety app – a game-based farming application for mobile devices to make learning even more accessible.
“There are a lot of different safety programs and things coming as well as what we’re currently delivering,” said Segboer. “It’s all about making sure Albertans are safe on their farms and ranches and in the case of the students, making the learning fun.”
