io - AiDerta l- ARMLIRT, MAY 25, 1999
FARM SAFETY DAY
FOR CHILDREN
The Falun Women's
Institute recently partnered
with their neighboring
communities of Lakedell,
Pipestone and Usona, west
of Wetaskiwin, to provide a
project for children aged 6 -
15 years called Farm Safety
Day for Children. This
project was implemented by
these co- operative groups
who felt that there is a
strong responsibility and
need to educate youngsters
in all aspects of farm safety.
Applications were sent out
with the youths of the area's
local schools, and one
hundred children were
accepted into the project's
inaugural session.
" The children were
divided into groups of 10,
according to age," said
Joyce Sjogren,
spokesperson for the Falun
Women's Institute. " Each
group was supervised by a
team leader, who remained
with the youngsters
throughout the day. For easy
identification, the leaders
and their 10 children wore
color- coded name tags."
Ten sponsors from the,
area volunteered time and
equipment to give hands- on
demonstrations and talks.
The areas covered were
safety tips on bicycle and
gun safety sponsored by the
RCMP; the details on safety
checks on the farm, and
what to do in an emergency
sponsored by the fire
department; basic first aid
and how to access the 911
number properly with the
EMS; hazards relating to
power take- offs and grain
augers, demonstrated by an
equipment company; proper
handling and wearing
apparel for all terrain
vehicles and snow mobiles
was discussed; hazards and
injuries caused by lawn and
garden tractors was
represented; health sponsors
demonstrated dug- out and
slough safety, thin ice and
sun protection; chemical
safety dos and don'ts, and
animal diseases and the
importance of staying out of
harms way by a local
veterinarian. An electrical
station volunteer told his
own story and corroborated
it with a visible injury,
making an impressionable
impact on both the children
and adults.
Solomon Kyeremanteng,
head of Alberta Agriculture,
Food and Rural
Development's Farm Safety
Program, watched and
learned himself from
the individual safety
demonstrators of the
program.
" At the end of the day, all
the children received a
special certificate, a goodie
bag, and a good- sized stake
with a warning sign
( attached to it) for water
hazards," added Sjogren.
" The mother of one six-year-
old, said her daughter
laid down the law to her
mother saying, " One seat,
one person, Mom." She was
relating to lawn mowers and
tractors. Another wouldn't
let his parents rest until the
water hazard stake had been
placed at a swollen creek
near his home. In a lot of
homes on the night after the
course, the table talk was
sure to be on what
transpired during the day,
and especially on the
volunteer who lost his legs
in an electrical accident."
Pat Netzer, Charlotte
Stange, and Joyce Sjogren
were instrumental in
making this project happen,
and have already committed
to administering the
program again next year
with the help of the
communities, their
sponsors, team leaders and
the many volunteers. If you
or your community group is
interested in finding out
more about this pilot
project, please contact Joyce
Sjogren at ( 780) 352- 7408.
