The Alberta Farm Safety Centre, Raymond AB

• The Alberta Farm Safety Centre is located in Raymond Alberta. Click here to learn more about the Alberta Farm Safety Centre.
• Agriculture is a major industry in Alberta and farm families are its renewable resource. Keeping rural children, their families and communities safe and healthy is the centre's focus and motivation.
• The Alberta Farm Safety Centre provides various educational programs that reach thousands of rural Albertans annually. Our programs raise individual awareness of the many potential hazards found on the average family farm, and teach safe responses to each.

• In 1997 a cross section of agricultural stakeholders in Alberta met to discuss and determine which groups would benefit most and be targeted for farm safety educational efforts. From this meeting it was determined that the number one target group should be children. It was thought that mature farmers could be reached through their children. Also as these same rural children would be the future farmers of Alberta, it was hoped that by beginning to teach them in their youth to recognize potential farm hazards, their future safety decisions might be influenced.
• An so the school-based "Safety Smarts" program was developed. In 1988 only grades 1, 3 and 5 were taught. With the first attempt finding enthusiastic support from participating schools, grade 2, 4 and 6 presentations were added in 1999. A set of programs based on the unique needs of Hutterite colony classrooms was added in 2002 and 2003. Each year sees continued growth.

• 1998-1999,--- 2230 children taught
• 1999-2000,--- 4228 children taught
• 2000-2001,--- 4374 children taught
• 2001-2002,--- 4564 children taught
• 2002-2003,--- 5695 children taught
• 2003-2004,--- 5835 children taught
• 2004-2005,--- 6219 children taught
• 2005-2006,--- 8455 children taught (Sept-Feb)

• The 2005-2006 school year will be "Safety Smarts" 8th year in southern Alberta and 98% of the rural public and colony schools in the region have received this program.
• Beginning in September 2005, Safety Smarts will be offered in 17 school districts across southern Alberta.
• From September 2005 to February 2006 our three instructors have traveled over 27, 000 kilometers to bring the farm safety message to 8455 students in 136 schools.
• We have found that rural children are very open to safety messages, their safety attitudes do impact their individual safety decisions, and they are taking the safety message home to their parents and grandparents.
• Our program is unique, meets an on-going need and is linked to the current school curriculum. Teachers are eager to have this program brought to their students.

Contact information:
Laura Nelson, Coordinator
Alberta Farm Safety Centre
Box 291, Raymond, AB T0K 2S0
tel 403-752 4585 fax 403-752 3643