Farm kids learn to play it safe
B Y MARY MACARTHUR

FARM SAFETY FACTS

talk about the increasingly popular
farm vehicles.
"If you can plant a few seeds,
that's so important," said North,
who sells ATVs from his Scottsville
Sports store in Red Deer.
North said he tries to tell it
straight to parents and children that
ATVs are dangerous machines. Peo­

extra dollars on proper safety
equipment.
After listening to North, Megan
Dreeshen vowed to wear the helmet
gathering dust on the shelf the next
time she rides the ATV.
It isn't cool to wear a helmet, said
Dreeshen, of Pine Lake: "None of
the kids my age wear them."
live§ on a farm §hg never realized PLE GET KILLED EACH YEAR BECAUSE THEY But that was before she learned of
drive too fast, don't wear safety the growing number of bike acci­
there were so many hazards.
dents.
She admits to riding in the tractor equipment or do foolish things.
"I didn't think there were so many
"I love selling them, but I would
bucket and going "full out" across
the field on the all-terrain vehicle, sooner sell with the aspect of safety ATV accidents. It's kind of scary, all
things she now knows can lead behind it than just selling it. I try to the accidents."
educate the parents when they
straight to accidents and death.
Dangerous equipment
Awareness and a second thought come in with the kids."
North said he tries to make it clear
It's not just the ATV statistics that
before roaring across the field on an
all-terrain vehicle is all Al North was if buyers can afford an $8,000 ma­ have Dreeshen shocked. It's the poi­
hoping for when he volunteered to chine they can afford to spend a few sonous chemicals in the shed, and
the grain augers which can rip off a
leg in seconds, or the livestock or
equipment that can be dangerous.
"It's scary with all the close calls
on the farm."
Raising an awareness of farm ac­
cidents was the goal of the first Kids
Farm Safety Day organized by the
Alberta Women's Institutes chap­
ters of Red Deer Centre, Red Deer
West and Innisfail.
Faye Mayberry said she got the
idea after reading about a similar
farm safety demonstration in
Ontario.
"We want the kids to become
aware of what is safe and unsafe
around them," said Mayberry, the
WI agriculture convener.
Teaching farm children about
safety is also a good way to get in the
back door to teaching their parents
to be more safe, she said.
"If we can teach them what's safe
then they'll develop a positive atti­
tude toward farm safety. They'll
take that message to m o m and dad."
Mayberry isn't sure if the safety
day will become an annual event be­
cause of the massive organization
required to bring together volun­
teers, equipment dealers, firefight­
ers and farm specialists.
Instead of having an annual event
at Pine Lake, other WI branches
across the province may be able to
look at the model and repeat the
safety day in their area.
"I'd like to see us partner up with
various groups and businesses and
W P photos by Mary MacArthur
we can run the program across the
province."
John Dyck teaches the basics of firearm safety.
CAMROSE BUREAU
PINE LAKE, Alta. — Rebecca
Wozniczka came to the day-long
camp on farm safety because her
mother thought it would be a good
idea.
By the end of the day, Wozniczka
was glad she came. Even though she

There were 1,673 farm-related
accidents reported in Alberta in
1996. Some facts:
The most accident-prone month
MAY. The least accident-prone
fingers and is
month
is JANUARY.
thumbs are
The
most
dangerous days of the
the most
often injured week are >ATURDAY and
body parts. MONDAY.
Men are four times as likely to be
injured as women.
The riskiest age group is
Injuries involving
account for 38% of the total, while
injured another
33%.
The most frequent injury-causing
power tool on the farm is a
Source: Staff research

WP graphic by Michelle Hou

Children are told about safety around tractors and bales.