New online training empowers firefighters and EMS teams
The National Farm Medicine Center, part of the Marshfield Clinic Research Institute, has officially launched the Rural Firefighters Delivering Agriculture Safety and Health (RF-DASH) online course. This free educational program supports rural firefighters and emergency medical services (EMS) professionals with essential agricultural safety knowledge.
The RF-DASH online course introduces participants to the core concepts of the program, including methods for farm injury prevention and rural emergency preparedness. The curriculum also demonstrates two advanced technological tools that assist in improving on-farm and ranch safety management.
Participants completing the course will earn a certificate of completion, which they may submit to their departments for continuing education credit. In addition, those who complete an evaluation survey will receive a special RF-DASH patch and challenge coin as recognition for their dedication.
The program is accessible to anyone, free of charge, through account registration on the RF-DASH website.
Funding for course development came from the Institute for Clinical and Translational Research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and was supported by the NIH’s National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS). The overall RF-DASH initiative receives funding from the Upper Midwest Agricultural Safety and Health Center (UMASH) and support from the CHS Foundation for in-person firefighter events.
For details on training opportunities or implementing RF-DASH on your farm or ranch visit www.rfdash.org.
Photo Credit: Pexels-Pixabay