Kenockee Township Fire Department, serving the Avoca area in St. Clair County, is the recipient of a potentially life-saving resource. The department will receive grain rescue tubes and hands-on training to be used if the first responders ever encounter a grain entrapment situation.
Grain bin entrapment is a particularly scary fear that farmers and their families live with, as dozens of lives are lost each year to it. Once someone falls into a bin or wagon full of grain, it is very hard to get out.
Nationwide, an insurance and financial services company, provides the devices and training and has given out 265 rescue tubes since 2014.
Brad Liggett, president of Agribusiness at Nationwide said, “It’s been our mission to bring an end to this industry issue by raising awareness of the dangers and supplying needed equipment to the front line rescuers tasked with responding when accidents occur.”
A state-of-the-art grain entrapment simulator will be brought to the Kenockee Fire Department to conduct the training and deliver the rescue tubes.
Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland
