The Osage Fire Protection District in Wardsville hosted a Basic Grain Engulfment Rescue Training for firefighters from several departments Saturday.
The training, put on by University of Missouri Fire and Rescue Training Institute and paid for by the Missouri Division of Fire Safety, gave firefighters the opportunity to train on many different aspects of grain rescue, preparing them to effectively rescue a trapped person from a grain bin.
After learning about different grain bin rescue scenarios, the trainees used a simulator to learn the proper technique of cutting grain bin panels to quickly dump grain and enable rescue.
Trainees entered a grain bin and became entrapped in corn kernels while other trainees performed rescue techniques learned during the classroom portion of the course.
As a person sinks in the grain and struggles to get out, the grain packs in tighter and tighter, and the person eventually can't move.
During a grain bin rescue, firefighters use a rescue tube to prevent more grain from flowing around the trapped person. Once the tube is in place, they use an auger to remove the grain in the tube.
About 35 firefighters participated in the training, from the following departments: Cole County Fire Protection District, Jefferson City Fire Department, Osage Fire Protection District, Regional West Fire Protection District, Pettis County Fire Protection District and Gilt Edge Fire Department (Western Tennessee).
This is the first time the Osage County Fire Protection District has had this training, said Kyle Renick, the training officer and public information officer for the Osage Fire Protection District.
While area firefighters haven't had to do a grain engulfment rescue, it is a real risk for farmers.
"We haven't had any calls like this, but we want to be prepared for the future if we ever did," Renick said. "That's why we're hosting it."
This training helped the firefighters learn how many people it takes to do a grain bin rescue and what resources they would need.
"Right now, we don't have the capability of doing it," Renick said. "We don't have the equipment to do it, but with us having this training, we're now going to look at purchasing the equipment."
Brandon Ransom, who participated in the training Saturday, said he was glad he got to learn how to rescue someone from a grain bin because there are many farmers and grain silos in the area.
"A lot of my family members are farmers, so it's good that if something does happen, I know what I'm doing now," he said.