Approximately 250 fourth-graders from the Allen County Intermediate Center (ACIC) received hands-on lessons in farm, home and everyday safety Friday, September 18, during the Allen County Farm Bureau Progressive Agriculture Safety Day.
The five-hour event, held at the Allen County Fairgrounds, marked the fourth-year local agencies have collaborated to offer the program for fourth graders. Members of the Allen County-Scottsville High School (AC-SHS) Future Farmers of America (FFA) helped coordinate the day and guide students from nine classrooms through 12 safety stations.
“Our FFA kiddos are leading each classroom through 12 stations that the (organizing) committee felt that children needed awareness about,” explained FFA advisor Nicki Towe. “We’ve been planning this since January.”
Other AC-SHS students, including members of the school’s Health Science and Future Educators programs, helped lead sessions.
“We just want our youth to help educate these fourth-graders and maybe save lives and make them better informed about their safety,” Towe added.
The stations addressed safety with regard to animals, lawn mowers, all-terrain vehicles, tractors, electrical, chemical, water, sun and internet safety. Students also learned about vaping, staying home alone, food and nutrition, first aid and emergency medical response.
With approximately 900 farms in Allen County, farm safety was a major focus, including safety around farm tractors. Kim Field, representing the Kentucky Department of Agriculture’s Farm Safety, Rural Health and Raising Hope programs, used a model tractor and mannequin to demonstrate what can happen when a tractor overturns.
“We want to make sure everybody stays safe when they’re on the farm, because it only takes a couple of seconds to get hurt, but it also takes a couple of seconds to be safe,” Field emphasized.
She explained the importance of tractor rollover protection structures and seat belts, warning students that an operator may not have time to escape once a tractor begins overturning.
“If you don’t have your seat belt on, you’re going to fly out,” Field said. “You can either land under the tractor or away from the tractor, and you can get seriously hurt that way.”
Field encouraged students to remember a simple rule: “Seat belts and roll bars save lives.”
She also cautioned children against riding on tractors unless the equipment has a designated passenger seat. Enclosed tractor cabs have rollover protection built into their structures, while rollover bars on open tractors and lawn mowers must be raised and secured to provide protection.
US Army Corp of Engineers Park Rangers Alicia White and Adam Vance led the water-safety station, teaching students how to select and properly wear life jackets. They also explained what children should do during an emergency on or near the water, including seeking help instead of entering the water and placing themselves in danger.
“Our biggest takeaway for the kids is that they’re always safe on the water and wearing life jackets that are properly fitted for them,” White stressed.
Nan Montgomery, Allen County Cooperative Extension agent for Family and Consumer Sciences, led an activity showing how household chemicals can resemble familiar foods and beverages. Students compared products such as pine cleaner and apple juice and attempted to identify each one. The activity emphasized keeping cleaners and other chemicals in their original containers. Students were instructed never to eat or drink anything from an unidentified container and to call 911 and Poison Control if someone swallows a potentially poisonous substance.
Students also toured the Scottsville Fire Department’s mobile safety trailer. Inside the simulated home, firefighters taught basic fire-prevention practices, how to call 911, and how to escape a burning building.
Before lunch, Brian Wood of Tri-County Electric conducted a high-voltage demonstration showing what can happen if someone comes into contact with electric lines---including when a kite becomes entangled in a power line. Wood explained that while electricity is essential to daily life, high-voltage lines can cause serious or fatal injuries. He urged students to stay away from downed power lines and use caution around all electrical equipment.
Through multiple demonstrations, questions, and student participation, Safety Day provided fourth-graders with practical lessons they can use at home, on the farm, near the water, and throughout their daily lives.