Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health (LGH) and Safe Kids Lancaster will host the 30th annual Farm & Family Safety Day on Saturday, April 13, at Bart Fire Company, 11 Furnace Road, Quarryville. The free, kid-friendly event will begin at 8:30 a.m., and it will feature various educational activities to help families prevent farm-related injuries in the Southern End until approximately 1:30 p.m.

A complimentary morning snack and beverage will be provided for guests. Additionally, sub sandwiches will be available to purchase during the event, and all proceeds from sub sales will benefit the Bart Fire Company.

Farm & Family Safety Day will include a variety of interactive safety presentations on fire and burn safety, stopping an injury from bleeding, road safety and reflectivity, and other topics relevant to the farming community. Every year, LGH selects the presentation topics based on data from its trauma center and trends found in common 911 calls. The presentations primarily focus on educating children between the ages of 6 and 12; at this age, children living on farms often begin to receive more responsibilities as they become involved with the family business.

One of the main goals of Farm & Family Safety Day is to familiarize children who reside on farms with local first responders and their equipment used for emergencies. Many farms in the Southern End are operated by members of the Plain community, and many Amish and Mennonite children don't often have an opportunity to see vehicles like ambulances. This year a new activity has been introduced to the event to give attendees an up-close look at many different types of first responder vehicles, including a police car, an ambulance, and the LGH emergency response vehicle. A helicopter landing will occur at 11 a.m. if weather permits.

After the Farm & Family Safety Day in 2021, event coordinator Lindsay Pringle was approached by a member of the Amish community. The woman thanked Pringle for bringing the event back after the COVID-19 pandemic, adding that the information provided during a previous fire safety presentation helped her prevent the loss of her home a few years later. "That really resonated with me," said Pringle. "This event truly provides folks with useful information, and ultimately it can save people's homes and kids' lives." Pringle also noted that this is a multigenerational event that many community members have grown to appreciate over the years; some attendees who used to take their children to Farm & Family Safety Day now bring their grandchildren.

LGH requests that attendees register the total number of adults and children in their group prior to the event by contacting Pringle at Lindsay.Pringle@pennmedicine.upenn.edu or by calling 717-544-3807.

"Ultimately, we want to keep children out of the hospital," Pringle said. "It's important to hear from experts in the field on injuries to ensure members of the local community have the best quality of life."

For more information, visit https://tinyurl.com/farmfamily2024.