U.S. firefighters responded to 29 grain bin incidents in 2016
By Diego Flammini
News Reporter
Farms.com
A local farm bureau in Ohio helped firefighters obtain the equipment they need to save lives in the event of a grain bin accident.
The Trumbull County Farm Bureau provided a $4,000 grant to the Bristol Fire Department to help fund the purchase a “Great Wall of Rescue.”
The tube-shaped device is placed, one panel at a time, around a victim surrounded by grain to prevent him or her from being completely covered. Once the victim is surrounded by the Great Wall and enough grain has been removed from the tube, firefighters can help the individual get out safely.
It’s important for first responders to have the necessary equipment to rescue members of the community, said Amanda Orahood, a director with the Ohio Farm Bureau.
“We have a large number of grain farms in the area and wanted to be able to contribute to the community’s safety,” Orahood told Farms.com Tuesday. (Trumbull County has 888 farms, according to the 2012 Census of Agriculture.)
“Hopefully it’s something (firefighters) never have to use, but we wanted to make sure the fire department has the tools and training to help in any situation that involved grain bins.”
With the amount of work farmers do, they face the possibility of danger when working around grain bins. If they fall in, the situation is very serious, said Steve Craiger, assistant Bristol fire chief.
“They get stuck like they are in quicksand,” he told the Tribune Chronicle on Tuesday. “As soon as the grain gets to your waist or above, you can’t pull yourself out. If you submerge, there is a potential you could suffocate.”
U.S. firefighters responded to 29 grain entrapment incidents in 2016, according to a Perdue University study.