Grain bin rescue training held in central Kentucky

CLARK COUNTY, Ky. (WKYT) - The Clark County Fire Department made their way to Gilkison Farm on Friday to visit grain silos and practice helping farmers when they get stuck.

“Agriculture is one of the most dangerous occupations there is,” said Brennan Gilkison.

The Cooperative Extension Service of Clark County, the Kentucky Farm Bureau, the Clark County Cattlemen’s Association and Southern States in Winchester partnered up this year to fund training for Clark County firefighters on grain bin rescue.

Extension Agent for Clark County Levi Berg said, ” We have to train the firefighters to know and feel confident going into a grain bin, if someone has been entrapped or engulfed - and try to save them.”

According to Nationwide Insurance, more than 300 grain entrapments have been officially recorded in the past decade, and another estimated 30% go unreported. In 2021, at least 29 grain entrapments were reported, resulting in 11 fatalities.

”They get in there to try to poke around and see what’s going on, and it all falls on ‘em. It’s like quicksand, it will suck you in, and there is not a lot you can do. You can’t swim out of it,” said Gilkison.

The new equipment consists of a large tube and an auger and by placing the tube around the victim, the victim is given additional protection from the compression of the grain. Additionally, the rescue tube gives the ability to perform the rescue by moving smaller amounts of grain from around the victim.

Thanks to Friday’s training and the addition of new equipment, firefighters are now fully prepared to help those in need in the Kentucky agriculture community.

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