Press Releases
Mock accident will teach safety lesson at 'Pep Rally for Life' Sept. 13 in Glasgow
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
For more information contact:
Holly VonLuehrte
(502) 573-0450
FRANKFORT, Ky. — The bodies and ATVs strewn across the football field will be real. The first responders, their techniques, and their equipment will be real. The emergency medical helicopters will be real.
But the scene playing out in front of Barren County students will be a simulation intended to jolt them into putting safety first on ATVs and in their everyday lives.
The mock rescue will highlight a "Pep Rally for Life" Sept. 13 at 1:30 p.m. CDT at Barren County High School. The event will kick off National Farm Safety and Health Week Sept. 16-22.
"One mistake, one moment of inattention, can lead to an accident that can create a hardship for a family and even take a life," Agriculture Commissioner James Comer said. "The numbers of ATV and farming-related fatalities in Kentucky are much lower than they used to be, but even one death is one too many. I strongly urge all Kentuckians to take simple steps to reduce risk."
Commissioner Comer will speak at the event. Roger Thomas, executive director of the Governor's Office of Agricultural Policy, will present a proclamation on behalf of Gov. Steve Beshear.
Students will portray victims of the ATV accident, and local emergency medical personnel will use real-world tactics to treat the "victims" and prepare them for transport. Two AirEvac helicopters will transport the "victims" from the scene. Dale Dobson, the Kentucky Department of Agriculture's Farm and Home Safety Program coordinator, will lead the day's activities and conduct the rescue.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission reported that 122 people died in ATV accidents in Kentucky from 2007-2010, ranking the commonwealth third in the nation in ATV deaths.
The Kentucky Department of Agriculture's Farm and Home Safety Program travels to every county in Kentucky to deliver safety messages to schools, farm groups, civic organizations, and other groups that request a presentation. The program operates a one-of-a-kind rollover tractor simulator, which demonstrates the correct use of a rollover protective structure (ROPS) on a tractor, and a miniature grain bin and wagon. For more information on the Farm and Home Safety Program, go to the Kentucky Department of Agriculture's website, www.kyagr.com.
