Being prepared for farm emergencies and being able to provide First Aid will help getting sick and injured people to hospital and medical care quickly.  This can help prevent people dying or having other complications.  Being prepared for farm emergencies includes having:

• good (appropriate) First Aid kits
• people on farm trained to provide First Aid, including cardiopulmonary resuscitiation (CPR) and expired air resuscitation (EAR)
• effective farm communication an Emergency Plan, and
• an Emergency Contact card beside phones and two-way radios to help contact emergency services and give directions to them and ask for further help

First Aid Kits

When buying a First Aid kit for the farm, the kits should be suitable to treat the types of injury that occur and the number of people that work on the farm.  These injuries include:

• snake and spider bites
• sprains, cuts, burns and broken bones
• crush injury to hands, feet arms and legs
• electrocution
• drowning
• eye injury
• amputation of arms and legs in unguarded PTOs, grain augers, post hole diggers and drivers
• quad bike crush injury

First Aid kits are available from St John Ambulance, Australian Red Cross, chemists, Stock and Station agents, hardware stores and rural supply companies.

First Aid Training

Keeping hearts beating, lungs breathing and stopping bleeding save lives. Prompt and appropriate First Aid is important. There are many organisations and private trainers who deliver First Aid training including Australian Red Cross, St John Ambulance, local TAFE colleges, Rural Fire Services and many local private training providers.

Farm Communication

Farm work is quite often done alone, at night and long distance away from home and help.  Good farm communication with two-way radios, mobile phones and Personal EPIRBS (emergency beacons) can alert and get help to injured people.

Make sure there is radio or mobile communication with people who are working alone, where they are working on the farm, what route they travel and when they are expected home.
This can help find an injured person or give directions quickly in an emergency.

Emergency Plans

Getting injured people to hospital and doctors for medical help quickly reduces the effects of injury and increases the likelihood of a person surviving severe injury, heart attack and drowning.
Plan for emergencies that include fire, flood, storm, machinery accidents and chemical poisoning.  Test the emergency plan with family and workers so everyone knows what to do.

Emergency Card

Have an Emergency Card with contact details and directions to the farm beside phones and two-ways.

Download the emergency card template

In an Emergency, dial 000 for help from ambulance, police or fire brigade.