Contest Aims To Lower Deadly Farm Accidents In Iowa

Farming is a dangerous occupation. There are so many ways to get hurt, from dealing with large livestock, large machinery, and even grain bins.

Grain bins can be very dangerous. While there were some deaths connected to grain bin entrapments in 2022, there were also some successful rescues.

Back in August, a farmer in the Ackley-Iowa Falls area was working on his farm when he was trapped in one of the grain bins. It wasn’t until the next morning that officials were called. After an hour, the man was freed.

Rural fire departments are typically the first or only line of defense in these types of accidents.

The odds for a successful rescue increase when there is proper equipment and training involved.

This is the tenth year that Nationwide is celebrating Grain Bin Safety Week by holding the Nominate Your Fire Department Contest. This contest awards grain rescue tubes and hands-on training to first responders in rural America.

Since the contest began in 2014, rescue tubes and training have been awarded to over 272 fire departments in 31 states. Five of the tubes have been used to save a farmer.

Nominations are being accepted through April 30^th. Entries must explain how your local fire department would benefit from grain entrapment training and a rescue tub and how the training can be shared with nearby departments.

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