Safety rodeos offer fun and education

GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas – As spring blooms, LandCare branches around the country are holding their first Safety/Equipment Rodeos of the year. Across the regions, topics can vary by climate and need, but safety and training are at the center of all LandCare’s endeavors.

Along with vendor partners Exmark and Horizon, the Dallas West branch, in Grand Prairie, Texas, recently held a Safety/Equipment Rodeo to train on equipment uses, safety best practices and truck maintenance, as well as irrigation troubleshooting and pesticide application.

The branch brought in an ice cream truck as a sweet treat. Held in the spring, the event helps train seasonal field team members and acts as a refresher course for longtime team members.

Vendors come in as experts to teach about their products. The partnerships help strengthen the relationships between branches and their vendors.

“We have fun competition within the branches,” said Mark Hopkins, regional vice president. “It’s helpful to have vendor partners involved to be subject experts.”

“Competitions usually involve the equipment: an obstacle course for mowers, a skill competition for blowers – this one had participants use the blower to get a tennis ball in a trash can,” said Ed Schultheis, fleet director. “We’ve also had string trimmer competitions in the past where team members would have to trim around balloons.”

The branches have received positive feedback from team members who feel the training is useful as well as fun. The aim of rodeos is to reduce accidents and injuries, reduce equipment and vehicle downtime in the field and improve on efficiency. It’s a great way to start off the season on the right foot.