ESCANABA, Mich. (WZMQ) – On Friday, an event at the U.P. State Fairgrounds educated farmers, foresters, and first responders on critical safety information and equipment.
“I know a couple friends that got hurt and they didn’t know what to do, and response, they didn’t know what to do,” said Dan Bahrman, Hiawathaland Farm Bureau County President and event coordinator. “‘How do I take a PTO [power take-off] off? How do I shut the tractor off?'”
That’s what inspired the inaugural Upper Peninsula Farm Bureau Safety Summit. The day began with keynote speeches by State Senator Ed McBroom and State Representative Dave Prestin, followed by demonstrations by certified instructors from across the country.
“CPR lessons, fire suppression, fire cleanup, pesticide cleanup and how to do it properly,” Bahrman said. “If we help rescue some person, save a life, or minimize damage to the person, we’re successful—and hopefully, they’ll never ever use it.”
Other demonstrations included how to shut down forestry and farm machinery and tourniquet use. Hensley Consulting Services of Alabama brought a confined space simulator.
“We train firefighters all over the nation,” said Hensley Consulting Services Vice President Rob Doremus. “We’ve got vertical and horizontal entries that can be made. We can alter holes to be custom for our clients so that no matter the shape, size, we can actually create a real confined space that they have on their organization.”
According to Doremus, responders trying to help often become part of an emergency themselves, making this training life-saving.
“95% of the people dying in confined spaces are what could have been rescuers,” he explained. “Due to lack of knowledge, lack of leadership training, they’re unaware of a lot of these hazards. We want to be able to bring these hazards to them, recreate them, and teach them how not to become that victim.”
With the harvest season quickly approaching for many local farmers, Bahrman says there’s no better time to share this information with those working the land and those coming to their rescue in an emergency.
“People are really getting pressured and stuff because of our short season, so this is when accidents really happen,” he said. “People start putting longer hours in. You might get a little more rainy weather. People can slip. Bad things can happen. We want everybody to be prepared.
To learn more about Hiawathaland Farm Bureau—which serves Delta, Alger, Marquette, and Western Schoolcraft Counties—visit michfb.com. For information on Hnsley Consulting Services and its community outreach programs, visit HSCI-consulting.com.
