Emergencies can happen to any of us.
Wild fires, floods, even just getting hurt at home. Emergencies can cause us to lose our home or possessions, our income from missing work, and maybe even our life or our loved ones. On a farm or ranch, emergencies can be even more disastrous. This is where our livelihood lives, and loss here could mean generations of hard work gone.
March 16-22, 2025
Canadian Agricultural Safety Week
One of the themes for this year is Emergency Preparedness.
Here at Tatonga, we assist our organizations assess their operations, identify potential emergencies that could have disastrous affects, and develop emergency response practices to minimize or control the loss that could occur should there be an emergency. We urge you to take some time this week to assess your agricultural operation and confirm you are ready for an emergency.
Assess your operations for potential emergencies.
What types of livestock do you raise? What crops do you grow? Do you use chemicals or equipment? Do you hire workers or rely on family to help you? What potential emergencies can these aspects of your operation bring?
- Chemical burns
- First aid or medical emergency
- Fire
- Equipment roll-over
- Illness caused by animal
Where are you located? On the prairies, in the foothills or mountains? Are you close to an urban center or industrial facility or another farm or ranch? What potential emergencies can your location bring?
- Hazardous product release
- Wildfire
- Explosion and fire
- Flood
- High winds
- Suspicious persons
- Extreme heat or cold
Develop emergency response practices.
For each potential emergency you have identified, address these questions:
- What can you do to prevent the emergency?
- If you cannot prevent, what steps can you take to minimize the damage or loss should the emergency occur?
- What equipment do you need (i.e. fire extinguisher, designated safe area, spill kit)?
Jot down a few notes in your farm log, you don’t need anything fancy or extensive. Just some comments on what you will do for each emergency.
Discuss this with everyone affected: your family, your employees, your neighbours.
Testing your emergency response practices.
Once you have your plans in place, test them. You don’t need to hold a big deal fire drill or anything, but evaluate each of them to make sure they are exhaustive and detailed enough.
