Tim Zehnder Joins as Full Time Firefighter Trainer

New Role Supports Agriculture Safety Training Nationwide

• Bonnie Johnson
• November 21, 2025
• Media Article

Firefighter and rescue expert Tim Zehnder becomes the first full-time trainer for the RF-DASH program, helping expand farm safety training across the country with support from the CHS Foundation.

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The Rural Firefighters Delivering Agriculture Safety and Health (RF-DASH) program welcomes an important milestone with the hiring of its first full-time trainer, Tim Zehnder. This new role is supported by the CHS Foundation and the Upper Midwest Agricultural Safety and Health Center.
 

The goal is to bring more farm safety education to rural communities and help firefighters gain the skills they need to work safely on farms and ranches.
 

Tim Zehnder brings a strong background in both farming and emergency response. He works for Ex Environmental Inc. in Hudson, Wisconsin, and has more than three decades of experience in the fire service.
 

He began his career in 1990 in Truman, Minnesota, where he later became fire chief. Over the years, he has served as fire training program manager at South Central College in North Mankato, Minnesota, and director of fire science at Mid-Plains Community College in McCook, Nebraska. He also served with the McCook Fire Department until 2020.
 

Zehnder is active in rescue work and has taught courses in grain bin rescue, farm vehicle extrication, and confined space safety. His experience supports the RF-DASH program’s mission to improve safety on farms that handle grains and other agricultural materials.
 

“This is going to be an exciting time for the RF-DASH program,” said Casper Bendixsen, Ph.D., the principal investigator of the project. “We have had so much interest in the training modules from around the country. Thanks to new funding from the CHS Foundation, we can finally meet the demand for in-person training at farms that handle grain.”
 

As the program grows, Tim Zehnder will lead training sessions across the United States, especially in the upper Midwest. His work will help firefighters understand farm hazards, respond safely to emergencies, and support farmers and ranchers in their daily operations.
 

People who want to learn more about firefighter training or bring the RF-DASH program to their farm or ranch can contact tim@exenvironmental.com or rfdash@marshfieldresearch.org. More details are also available at www.rfdash.org.
 

Photo by: www.marshfieldresearch.org