AMERICA’S TWO MOST ADMIRED PROFESSIONS
SEPARATE NO MORE

Rural Firefighters Delivering Agricultural Safety & Health

The Problem:

People employed in agriculture are 5 times more likely to die on the job than the average U.S. worker. Nonfatal injury rates are also high.

The total estimated cost of farm injuries and fatalities is $11.31 billion dollars each year. Moreover, farms are the backbone of many rural economies, so the total cost is even larger when community impacts are considered.

Adoption of safety practices on most farms is voluntary, underscoring the importance of working with trusted community members.

Our Response:

Researchers found that farmers trust rural firefighters to provide safety advice.

RF-DASH aims to equip rural first responders with agricultural health and safety knowledge to prevent farm injuries and improve emergency preparedness in rural communities.

The RF-DASH program brings together farmers, agricultural workers, emergency responders, and partner organizations to prevent injuries and save lives. Safer farms build safer communities.

RF-DASH Training: Learn More!

The Impact:

To date, RF-DASH has directly trained more than 170 first responders from 16 U.S. states and 5 Canadian provinces. Trainees often go on to lead their own trainings, and the estimated total reach of the RF-DASH program is 3,000+ first responders.

RF-DASH in action: In 2019, after attending an RF-DASH training, Wisconsin Fire Chief Tim Carey responded to a milk truck and tractor collision. Equipped with RF-DASH knowledge, Chief Carey delivered a safety message to local media: “At this time of the year, everybody needs to slow down and be cautious of the tractors. For all the farmers out there, make sure you put on new SMV signs, reflectors, and all the flashing lights you can, because I don’t want to come out to another one of these.”

Locations of RF-DASH Trainers in the US and Canada.

What People Say About RF-DASH

Funding Acknowledgement