Safety Zone

PAF Safety Zones are typically offered in conjunction with another community, regional, or state-level event. Instead of stand-alone events, a Paf Safety Zone tends to go where there is already an audience. PAF Safety Zones can take place at county and state fairs or festivals; ag expos; equipment dealer days; agritourism events (farm tours, ag breakfasts, etc.), employee picnics or family nights, local National Night Out or Touch a Truck events, etc.  

PAF Safety Zones should offer a minimum of four (4) safety or health stations.

We have peer-reviewed curriculum on more than 30 topic areas. We recommend selecting topics for PAF Safety Zones that are relevant to the audience and ones that are fun, engaging, and hands-on.

PAF continuously adds to their library of resources by always exploring new topics and emerging issues impacting rural and agricultural communities.

Each station will last no more than 3 to 5 minutes (compared to 15-20 minutes per station at community or school-based program).

Participants will be given a passport upon registration or check-in and will get a stamp when they visit each station. The participants can come and go as they please and do not need to visit the stations in any particular order. Once the participant visits all the designated stations, participants will turn in their passport to receive a take-home bag.  

At many PAF Safety Zones, parents are welcome and encouraged to participate with their children.

Typically, a PAF Safety Zone does not require any formal registration and does not require parental permission. Participants may be asked a few demographic questions (i.e., age/grade, town, etc.) to assist coordinators with their reporting and may also be asked a few knowledge-based questions about they learned when finished.

The PAF curriculum offers a variety of age-appropriate lessons, including hands-on activities and demonstrations, which are designed for children ages 4 to 13.

Yes, most PAF Safety Zones are open to the public and welcome participants from local and nearby communities and sometimes even the families of participants.

PAF Safety Zones vary in size and typically range between 20 to 2,000 participants. The coordinator determines the maximum number of participants on their application, which is often based on the attendance of the event, local volunteer support, budget, facility accommodations, etc.

During a PAF Safety Day, participants will learn a variety of life-saving lessons on numerous safety and health topics. The goal of each PAF Safety Day is for children to leave with knowledge-gained by learning something new leading to them making safer and healthier choices while at home, on the farm or ranch, or throughout their rural community.

In addition to gaining and strengthening their knowledge through participation in hands-on stations, participants will receive a complimentary take-home bag containing additional safety and health resources. Our hope is that when children return home from PAF Safety Day, they share the safety and health information with their family and friends.

Coordinators are the backbone of the PAF Safety Day program. Coordinators are responsible for helping plan and implement the program in their local community. Each year, we educate and equip hundreds of local volunteers for the role of PAF Safety Day Coordinators. These trained coordinators then engage with other local community volunteers to plan and implement the program. Coordinators come from a variety of organizations including Extension/4-H; Ag education/FFA; Soil Water Conservation Districts; local farm bureaus or ag societies; health care and emergency service agencies; ag-related businesses; and more.

If you are interested in learning more about the coordinator role or want to learn more about what our program could look like in your local community, please schedule a virtual call with our outreach and engagement administrator, Susan Turner. Click here to select a date and time that works best for you.  

Typically, there is no cost to participate in a PAF Safety Zone; however, since they take place during local and state fairs, farm shows, etc. you may be asked to pay an admission fee requested by the event host. 

PAF only requires a minimal annual program fee, which is paid for by the PAF Safety Day Coordinator prior to receiving training. The program fee covers:

• Annual online, self-paced training for all lead and up to one assistant Safety Day Coordinator.

• Planning materials and peer-reviewed curriculum covering 30+ topics, with hundreds of hands-on activities and "how-to" videos.

• Risk management coverage, including professional, liability, and excess medical insurance.

• Drawstring take-home bags for all participants.

• Welcome Banner

• Year-round support and access to materials through a password-protected Coordinator Portal. 

We never want funding to be a reason not to partner with us. Therefore, if funding is a concern, please reach out to us at safetyday@progressiveag.org

On our public website, go to the Programs tab at the top and click on the Local PAF Safety Days section to see if PAF Safety Day program is happening near you from the map. If you would like more information about a particular PAF Safety Day listed, e-mail us and we can help connect you with the local coordinator. 

If you find there is not a PAF Safety Zone taking place near you, visit the Get Involved section and complete an Interest Form. A member of the PAF team will follow up with you and provide more information on how to become a coordinator.

PAF Safety Zones programs can always benefit from an individual’s time, talent, or treasure.

Time - The gift of time is one of the most valuable resources a person can give. Volunteers are greatly needed for a variety of roles before, during, and after a program. In addition to coordinators, volunteer roles include stations presenters, group leaders, and other on-site logistics (i.e., registration support, meal prep, take-home bag stuffer, photographers, set-up/tear-down, etc.). If interested, you can reach out directly to the local coordinator, or we can make the introduction by completing the Volunteer Form under the Get Involved section.

Talent – Individuals with unique skills or professional expertise in a specific area of safety or health can utilize their talents as a station presenter. Individuals may also be needed to build or assemble safety-related props. Individuals with experience organizing or hosting events may be an asset to the planning committee. If interested, you can reach out directly to the local coordinator, or we can make the introduction by completing the Volunteer Form under the Get Involved section.

Treasure – Individuals can support the local Progressive Agriculture Foundation programs through both generous monetary and in-kind donations (i.e., meals or snacks, items for hands-on activities or props for demonstrations, resources for take-home bags, etc.). Donations are also welcome year-round to support the program’s growth throughout North America and can be made “in honor of” or “in memory of” someone special. Click here to initiate a donation. Those interested in becoming a partner or donor of the Progressive Agriculture Foundation and its programs, should e-mail partnerships@progressiveag.org.