Kawartha Lakes council embraces Farm 911: The Emily Project

DARRYL KNIGHT The Standard

KAWARTHA LAKES: In a recent decision which marks a significant step forward for rural safety, the City of Kawartha Lakes council has voted to officially join Farm 911: The Emily Project, a province-wide initiative, aimed at improving emergency services in rural communities.

The project, named after Emily Trudeau, was born out of a tragic incident, in 2014, in Northumberland County, where first responders were delayed in reaching a farm accident, due to the difficulty of locating the appropriate entrance.

Farm 911 allows rural landowners to request civic addresses for secondary field entrances, ensuring emergency responders can locate them more easily. While the City of Kawartha Lakes has offered this option for secondary field entrances, since amalgamation, there has been limited public awareness. By joining the Farm 911 initiative, the city hopes to build broader awareness and uptake.

The Kawartha Lakes Haliburton Federation of Agriculture advocated for the city to join the project, emphasizing how farm accidents often occur in remote locations, making it challenging for first responders to quickly find the scene. The council's decision to join the project aligns with its 2024-2027 Strategic Plan priorities of fostering collaboration between the community and improving service delivery.

Yellow Farm 911 signs will be available for purchase, by local farmers for a modest cost, enhancing the visibility of secondary entrances. The city intends to launch its awareness campaign at the 2024 International Plowing Match and Rural Expo, ensuring broad exposure.

With no financial burden on the city, the council’s decision is a low-cost but high-impact solution to a pressing rural issue, promising to make farms across Kawartha Lakes safer.