CHS Farmers Elevator and Feed Warehouse held a Grain Engulfment Training Sept. 26 at their Glasgow location. Firefighters from Glasgow Fire Department, Long Run Fire Department and Nashua Fire Department were on hand to learn how to use cofferdams and support equipment to perform rescues in the event a farmer should become trapped in a grain storage facility.
CHS brought in Dale Ekdahl to perform the training. Ekdahl went through several scenarios with the firefighters, demonstrating how to properly use the cofferdams to extract an individual buried in grain.
Ekdahl explained that a person buried to their chest in grain experiences 600 to 900 pounds of pressure on their feet and there is no way to dislodge an individual from such conditions. The constant pressure can cut off blood flow leading to blood clots developing even after a successful extraction. He also stressed that most deaths of persons caught in grain bins are due to choking to death, caused by dust and chemicals, and that the placing of hands over the face can help survival rates, as can masks such as N95s, commonly used by farmers working in enclosed spaces.
Ekdahl focused his training on the use of the newly donated cofferdams – a set of interlocking metal pieces which are placed around the trapped person and driven into the grain to relieve pressure and prevent more grain from piling up. He walked the firefighters through his different training scenarios while using examples from accidents across the country as lessons learned. Ekdahl also elaborated on how real-life situations will differ from the training in the back of a semi, preparing local emergency responders in the event they are required to answer a grain engulfment call.
CHS provided funding for the training through their Seeds of Stewardship and donated a total of six cofferdams and support equipment to Glasgow, Scobey, Circle, Wolf Point/Mason, Richey and Glendive. Ekdahl said he is aware of 41 successful rescues across the country resulting from this training and equipment. One town in Minnesota has had three rescues in seven years.
Firefighters from the three departments concluded the training with a discussion of when and where they will continue practicing with the new equipment.
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