Safety Day reaches students from across Buffalo County

Published on by ANNIE J LISOWSKI

The Progressive Agriculture Safety Day®, which is recognized as the largest rural safety and health education program for children nationally, provides education, training, and resources to make rural life safer and healthier for all children and their communities. Sponsored by the Buffalo County Safey Day Committee and UW-Madison Division of Extension, in conjunction with the Progressive Agriculture Foundation and many local donors, the event for summer school students who just completed Kindergarten through eighth grades was conducted on Wednesday, June 19, 2024, at the at the Buffalo County Fairgrounds in Mondovi from 8:30am – 11:30am. Over 400 youth from Alma, Cochrane-Fountain City, Gilmanton, Mondovi, and other surrounding school districts were registered for the learning experience.

Each year, many children and adults are seriously injured or die on Wisconsin’s farms. The purpose of Safety Day is to teach rural children how to prevent injuries and reduce the risk of farm and home incidents. During the Safety Day, young people participate in interactive activities that reinforce the importance of taking responsibility for their own safety, respecting safety rules and sharing safety tips with their family and friends. Hands-on demonstrations teach participants lifesaving first aid techniques and reveal the hidden hazards of rural life both on and off the farm. Demonstrations focus on ways to use personal protective equipment (PPE) when using tools like a power washer or operating a lawn mower or bicycle. Students also learned how to keep their hearing and vision safe when using chemicals and in daily interactions with electricity. Students also practiced prevention strategies to identify stressors and healthy coping mechanisms to increase their positive mental health. Students toured the ambulance, completed a rear bus evacuation, and observed the lights on a farm tractor. Ultimately, the sponsors of Safety Day work to encourage youth to maintain a healthy respect for farm and home hazards throughout their lives to decrease the number of preventable deaths and injuries among rural children.

Buffalo County DNR Warden, Bob Jumbeck, taught students about the importance of boat safety and being safe on the Mississippi River!
Dyllan Smith, from the Buffalo County Health Department shared about behavioral and mental health! They discussed stressors and how to overcome.
It is always a good idea to be prepared when it comes to First Aid. Mondovi Area Ambulance Service shared quick first aid tips, they even let students inside the ambulance to check it out!
Did you know that certain windows on the bus open outwards, like this, in case of an emergency?
Jerry Clark from the Chippewa County Extension Office demonstrated how to safely get on a tractor and shared the dangers of a PTO shaft.
This crew had a blast at the 2024 Safety Day held at the Buffalo County Fairgrounds.
We all have chemicals in our home, from things like cleaning supplies, wind shield washer solution and more. Kaycee Pronschinske of Compeer taught us how certain chemicals look like some of our common drinks and how to protect ourselves against the confusion.
Dyllan even got students out of their seats and moving. Students learned about the importance of movement and how it impacts our well-being.