Firefighters and farmers, two groups of professionals who often work in hazardous environments, are teaming up in a program aimed at improving agricultural safety and health nationwide.
The Rural Firefighters Delivering Agricultural Safety and Health (RF-DASH) project trains emergency responders to provide resources and consultation to farmers in their service areas.
“This project is based on our research indicating that firefighters can be influential and can motivate farmers to make changes to improve health and safety on their farms,” said project leader Casper Bendixsen, Ph.D., director of the National Farm Medicine Center, Marshfield Clinic Research Institute.
“Rural firefighters and first responders are highly esteemed in rural and agricultural communities. With the new tools and knowledge we’re giving them, they can be influential on farmers’ health and safety decisions.”