LUMBERTON — Local students are teaming up with first responders and safety officials to host a free farm safety workshop event on Saturday titled “When Farm Equipment Attacks.”
Students in the Lumberton FFA Chapter will participate in the event at East Howellsville Fire Department on Saturday at 8:30 a.m. The fire department is located at 1000 Pridgen Road in Lumberton.
The event is being held through the collaboration of Robeson Community College Emergency Service Training Center, Mancos All Hazard Training LLC, Lumberton FFA and East Howellsville Fire Department. The class is also sponsored by Robert’s Farm of Lumberton. In addition, Robeson County Farm Bureau sponsored lunch for participants.
This event will include a lecture as well as a hands-on demonstration class. Everyone can benefit from this education! Participants must be 16 years of age or older.
“This isn't just for the youth, but also for the people of our community! We would love for you to come out and join us,” said Candace Grimsley, who serves as an adviser for the Lumberton FFA Chapter. “Please register at your earliest convenience. Lunch will be provided.”
Educating members of the public, local farmers and youth about farm equipment safety can save lives.
“In 2021, workers in the agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting industry experienced one of the highest fatal injury rates at 20 deaths per 100,000 full-time workers, compared to a rate of 3.6 deaths per 100,000 workers for all U.S. industries,” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which cited the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics as its source.
The U.S. BLS reported 133 fatal occupational injuries for agricultural workers in 2021.
“We are excited to partner with the Public Schools of Robeson County and the Future Farmers of America, as well as the East Howellsville Fire Department to co-sponsor this training. Farming is a major industry in our county, and farm machinery safety is something which is on everyone’s mind,” said Robert Ivey, Director of Fire and Rescue Training at Robeson Community College.
“Incidents involving farm machinery and/or equipment are high risk/low frequency, which means they do not happen a lot, but when they do, they are very serious in nature. This class is designed as an awareness class to point out the hazards of certain types of farm equipment, both for farmers and first responders. We look forward to being a part of this FFA project,” Ivey said.
A representative from the FFA chapter contacted East Howellsville Fire Chief Steve West about being involved in planning an event to include the farming community. The chapter members felt that a farm equipment safety class could be beneficial, Ivey said.
“I’m honored to have the FFA involved in the event,” said EHFD Chief Steve West. “We are hoping this is going to be an annual event.”
Joe Mancos, Lead Instructor at Mancos All Hazard Training LLC, said he is pleased to be a part of the event that can help individuals in farming communities prepare for farm equipment hazards and take necessary safety precautions to avoid harm.
“Agricultural accidents claim many lives each year across our nation,” Mancos said.
Patient outcomes can be affected by challenges such as EMS response time to remote locations and limited to poor access for emergency vehicles, he said.
“This class is a great opportunity to establish communication between the local agricultural communities and the first responders who serve them. Having grown up in rural southeastern N.C., I take great pride in serving the fire, rescue and EMS personnel in rural communities across N.C. and the U.S.,” Mancos added.
For more information about the event, contact Mr. Eric Palmer with the East Howellsville Fire Department by emailing ehfdsta7@gmail.com. To register, please scan the QR code on the flyer or visit www.robeson.edu/coned/fireedu.