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Farm Bureau, elevators buy rescue tube for Illinois grain bin entrapment

By DEBORAH BEHRENDS
Illinois Correspondent

DEKALB, Ill. — DeKalb County elevators and Farm Bureau value the safety of agricultural employees and farmers who deal with grain storage. Recently, the groups partnered to purchase a bin rescue tube for emergencies involving a victim trapped in grain.

The new rescue tube was presented to the Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS) Division 6 Special Operations unit serving DeKalb County. Jim Zarek, MABAS Division 6 Technical Rescue team leader and captain of the DeKalb Fire Department, said the rescue tube is a great addition to their equipment cache for responding to grain entrapments.

Previously the unit used plywood to wedge around a victim – a very risky procedure. The rescue tube is constructed of durable PVC material and consists of four interlocking units that form a cylinder which is driven section by section into grain surrounding the trapped victim.

Grain then can be removed from the tube with a vacuum, allowing the victim to be extracted easily.

“With proper training, first responders can use this tube to prevent fatalities that result from victims trapped in flowing grain. This new rescue tube can truly save lives,” said Zarek.

Jim Black, Maplehurst elevator manager, is all too familiar with grain entrapment. Recently at the company’s facility, an employee checking grain became trapped and other workers had to respond quickly to save him from suffocating. As a result, Black purchased his own rescue tube for Maplehurst’s 10 facilities and was on board with the MABAS addition.

“We were able to scoop him out, and he didn’t have any life-threatening injuries, but it made us very much aware of what could happen,” Black said.

“In a grain entrapment situation, when a person gets covered up, it might be too late,” said Farm Bureau Manager Greg Millburg. “The grain will naturally flow downward into a V pattern, like an hourglass. The more (grain) you remove, the more that goes in.”
Elevators who shared in the cost of the $4,000 rescue tube for MABAS were Conserv FS, DeLong, Elburn Coop, Maplehurst and Mullins Grain, along with the DeKalb County Farm Bureau.

Farm Bureau has been a strong proponent of agricultural safety. “We understand that agriculture is a high-risk occupation, so we are continually promoting safety and the prevention of ag-related accidents,” said Paul Rasmussen, Farm Bureau president.
“Hopefully, we won’t have to use it, but if we do, we have it,” Millburg said.

This endeavor has formed a partnership between the agricultural community and emergency services. “We are in this together to save lives and educate the public at large of the risks they are facing when exposed to grain bins,” said Zarek.

“I was glad to see everyone come together. When it comes to safety, we all work together. We’re good competitors, but we care about each other’s employees,” Black said.

Since 1986, there have been 55 grain bin fatalities in the state, according to the University of Illinois.

The MABAS Division 6 Technical Rescue Team, comprised of fire department personnel from DeKalb, Sycamore and Cortland, has trained at local elevators and farm sites for grain entrapment rescues. The division serves DeKalb County, as well as portions of Kane, Kendall, LaSalle, Lee and Ogle counties. The tube is stored in DeKalb.

4/30/2009