To prepare for harvest, many farmers are checking their grain bins to ensure everything is working correctly to avoid accidents down the road. In addition to safety on the farm, Nationwide is taking steps to help prevent grain entrapment deaths in rural America. In partnership with the National Education Center for Agricultural Safety (NECAS), Nationwide is awarding 48 fire departments across the country with life-saving grain rescue tubes and hands-on training to prepare them to respond when entrapments occur.
According to researchers at Purdue University, more than 900 cases of grain engulfment have been reported in the past 50 years with a fatality rate of 62%. In 2020, grain entrapments led to 20 deaths.
“It only takes seconds, or a simple mistake, for an adult to sink in the quicksand-like flow of grain and become fully entrapped or engulfed,” said Brad Liggett, Nationwide’s president of Agribusiness. “Adding to the risk is a lack of rescue equipment available to local fire departments and emergency responders who are called for help when a worker becomes trapped.”
After receiving more than 1,000 nominations in the annual Nominate Your Fire Department Contest, Nationwide and its partners awarded grain rescue tubes and training to the following 48 fire departments.
- Alexander Rescue Squad, Taylorsville, NC
- Aurelius Volunteer Fire Department, Auburn, NY
- Berlin Fire Department, Berlin, WI
- Bloomington Fire, Bloomington, WI
- Cambridge Springs Volunteer Fire Department, Cambridge Springs, PA
- Camden-Wyoming Fire Company, Camden, DE
- Citizens Volunteer Fire Company, Fawn Grove, PA
- City of Mount Vernon Fire Department, Mount Vernon, IL
- Clinton-Warren Joint Fire District, Clarksville, OH
- Clontarf Fire Department, Clontarf, MN
- Coggon Fire Department / Linn County District 7, Coggon, IA
- Downs Fire Department, Downs, KS
- East Pembroke Fire Department, Batavia, NY
- Fair Grove Fire Protection District, Fair Grove, MO
- Fillmore Volunteer Fire Department, Fillmore, IN
- Franklin Township Volunteer Fire Department, Edinboro, PA
- Friendsville Volunteer Fire & Rescue Department, Friendsville, MD
- Grundy County Emergency Management, Grundy Center, IA
- Jerome Township Division of Fire, Plain City, OH
- Kewanee Community Fire Protection District, Kewanee, IL
- Larned Fire Department, Larned, KS
- Madelia Fire Department, Madelia, MN
- Malden Fire Department, Malden, MO
- Maxwell Community Volunteer Fire Department, Maxwell, TX
- Mayville Fire & Rescue, Mayville, ND
- Mendon Fire Department, Mendon, IL
- Nemaha County Rural Fire District #4, Bern, KS
- New Baden Fire Protection District, New Baden, IL
- North Bollinger County Fire Protection District, Patton, MO
- North Callaway Fire Protection District, Kingdom City, MO
- Northrop Fire Department, Northrop, MN
- Orlinda Volunteer Fire Department, Orlinda, TN
- Oxford Volunteer Fire Department, Oxford, IA
- Pembina Fire Department, Pembina, ND
- Pikeville Volunteer Fire Department, Pikeville, TN
- Rawlinsville Volunteer Fire Company, Holtwood, PA
- Ripley Fire Department, Ripley, OH
- Ronda Community Volunteer Fire Department, Ronda, NC
- Rugby Volunteer Fire Department, Rugby, ND
- Sargent Volunteer Fire & Rescue, Sargent, NE
- Sequoyah County Rural Fire Protection District #1, Gore, OK
- Sesser Fire Protection District, Sesser, IL
- Shelby Volunteer Fire Department, Medina, NY
- Summit Volunteer Fire Department, Summit, SD
- Tri-County Fire Department, Waller, TX
- Valley View Milling, Seneca, KS
- Willards Volunteer Fire Department, Willards, MD
- Xenia Fire Department, Xenia, IL
NECAS, based out of Peosta, IA, will deliver the rescue tubes and training to the winning fire departments throughout 2021, traveling to each location with state-of-the-art grain entrapment simulators and rescue tubes. The comprehensive training sessions include classroom education and rescue simulations using the entrapment tools, which are loaded onto 20-foot trailers and able to hold about 100 bushels of grain each.
Nationwide is continuing to work with partners throughout 2021 to provide additional grain rescue tubes and training sessions to fire departments in need. To learn how to get involved and sponsor a rescue tube for your local fire department, visit the Nationwide website.
