Too often, farm accidents like this one are real and fatal. That was the central message conveyed during the simulated air rescue exercise organized by the Kentucky Department of Agriculture.

Last year in Kentucky, 18 people died in farm accidents, making farming one of the most hazardous occupations in the state, said Dale Dobson, the department's fire and rescue training director. He coordinated Friday's event, which was held as a kickoff to National Farm Safety and Health Week that begins Sunday.

The mock accident had it all. First, the operator of the tractor committed the cardinal sin of allowing children to ride on the tractor's fender, leading to their fall.

Then, rescue units from the Airport-Sorgho and Daviess County fire departments arrived, followed by an ambulance. Finally, because of the devastating nature of the pseudo injuries -- open fractures and severed limbs -- a pair of medical evacuation helicopters whisked in and removed the victims.

A statewide farm safety program that stresses emergency response by air and ground that began four years ago has reduced the farm fatality rate from 48 in 1995.

Kentucky had the worst farm fatality rate in the country just a few years ago, said John Hultgren, a flight paramedic and chairman of EMS education for StatCare, a consortium of Louisville hospitals.

Much of the problem, Hultgren said, stems from farmers ignoring safety procedures and disabling or failing to repair safety devices.

"They take off roll bars and don't have shields on (turning shafts)," he said. "Basically, safety equipment tends to break and doesn't get replaced. When people are rushing to get crops in, they tend to cut corners."

Rescue teams sent to help an injured farmer are faced with unique situations, Hultgren said. While cars are easily cut open in order the extract victims, tractors and combines are tougher and heavier, and tools like the "Jaws of Life" don't work well. Equipment is not always on solid or level ground, either.

"The easiest way is to dig them out rather than lift the machine," Hultgren said.

Rescuers sometimes have to deal with agriculture chemicals, confined spaces and livestock.

"We have lots of cow problems," Hultgren said. "But they are easily controlled with fire hoses."

Farmers in Daviess County are safety-minded, said Richard Payne, director of the Daviess County Emergency Management Agency, but they still need reminding about the possibility of accidents.