As summer nears and farmers spend more time in the fields with big machines, the likelihood of farm-related accidents rises sharply.

In Pennsylvania, June and July are the worst months for farm fatalities, according to the Penn State University College of Agricultural Sciences. That's the peak season for working the fields, and children are out of school and exposed to farm hazards.

Over the past six years, Eric J. Rickenbach has crisscrossed the state teaching rescuers how to respond to accidents on farms.

Heavy equipment, dangerous machinery, and the threat of barn and silo fires present special challenges to the legion of volunteers who respond to emergencies on Pennsylvania's farms.