In the first national training pilot, Rural Firefighters Delivering Agricultural Safety and Health (RF-DASH) instructors conducted a 2-day workshop for first responders, farmers and agricultural safety and health professionals in Minnesota. Participants came from across the country, including Idaho, Nebraska, New York, Ohio, Minnesota and more. The weekend event is a train-the-trainer program that equips farmers and first responders with tools, knowledge, and a health and safety consultation on farms.

Megan Schossow attended on behalf of UMASH to learn first hand from RF-DASH staff. Workshop participants spent the morning in the classroom covering pre-planning farm responses, farm hazards analysis, first aid and more. The group then got their boots on the ground and traveled to the hands-on training at the host farm. At a dairy farm in Dundas, MN, participants actively used tools, like FarmMAPPER, for hazard mapping and analysis. The training closed with a round table discussion on Sunday morning that aimed to answer questions, provide support for next steps, and evaluate the training.