When it comes to grain bin accidents and fires, Jake Armstrong, President of the Warren-Henderson Farm Bureau said that knowing what to do and how to approach the situation can impact how smoothly the situation is handled.
“Never climb, never get into things by yourself, If you are going to get into a grain bin, make sure the auger is turned off and is locked out so that no one can accidentally turn something on'” said Armstrong. “The other thing is, if you have out-of-condition grain when you are sweeping if you are not comfortable with it- my advice is to call your local elevator. We deal with out-of-condition grain all the time, we know how to handle these situations.”
The Monmouth Fire Department will be hosting Grain Bin Rescue courses on the weekends of August 11,12, 13 and 18, 19, 20. The training is geared to help equip local firefighters with the knowledge needed when arriving at the site of a grain accident.
More information on the course can be found by visiting FSI.Illinois.edu and searching ‘grain bin rescue’ under the courses tab.
