How to save someone trapped in a grain bin

[Muhammad]

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=1149654453944068

Just came across this.

 

[RayIN]

Several organizations teach this, and It has saved countless lives. Thanks for posting that link!
The average is 29 lives saved each year. Suffocation must be an agonizing way to die IMO.

 

[Sprinkler Fitter]

Long story here.

About 28-30 years ago our volunteer fire department was called to someone trapped in a grain bin.

I was the first captain on the scene, talked with the guy and he knew one foot went into the auger but a coworker had shut it off as he was yelling for help.

The guy was having trouble breathing, as he would exhale corn would flow down into him and he couldn’t expand his stomach to take a breath.

Three of us laid down some plywood scraps and crawled to him to look it over, I went back out and resumed command and we put a KED (Kendrick Extrication Device) on him and tried to lift with rope and pulleys to 5X6 across the trusses, seemed like we were going to rip him in half.

A county maintenance truck drove into the farm driveway to see if they could help, I looked back at the truck they were driving and saw that they had about a 4’ culvert about 8’ long, I asked them if they had a torch on the truck, they did, we had them cut the culvert in about half and talking to the neighboring farmer he suggested we call the John Deere dealer to see if they had a grain vac, they didn’t but they knew a farmer that did.

I called that farm and told him what we were dealing with, they said there would bring it but it would take a long time to get there with a tractor, if they brought it with a truck it would be quicker but we would need the pto on the tractor to be a certain rpm, I said no problem we will have that ready when you get here.

The John Deere dealer mechanic drove the few miles to the farm to see if he could help so I had him swap the pto shaft for the correct rpm, the vac showed up we had the shorter culvert over the guy and started the grain vac while pushing down on the culvert, we got him out, two toes were bleeding from the boot just entering the auger as it was shut off.

When we showed up on the scene I thought we were going to lose the guy though.


I’m guessing most of you know this but this is a grain vac.

 

[ArlyA]

Gee, I thought they cut a hole in the bin and drained it. With a concrete cutter that is.

 

[Sprinkler Fitter]

Gee, I thought they cut a hole in the bin and drained it. With a concrete cutter that is.

They are not all the same.

Some are steel, some are concrete. We did get called to a domestic where the guy drove the van into about an 80’ tall concrete silo.

The one I described above was a pole barn from the outside but inside had walls from floor to ceiling and grain was brought in through the roof, not as tall as most bins but still was suffocating the guy in it.

 

[CalG]

My cousin in South Dakota had to give up his role on the fire and rescue squad because going to see his dead neighbors suffocated in grain got to him.

 

[Sprinkler Fitter]

My cousin in South Dakota had to give up his role on the fire and rescue squad because going to see his dead neighbors suffocated in grain got to him.

That is the bad part of living in a small town and being on the fire or ambulance, you might know the people on the call you are going on.

Even for a small town, we averaged about 350 calls a year and I retired in 2003 with 21 years. Plenty of things in my head that luckily don’t bother me.

 

[Torvy]

My cousin in South Dakota had to give up his role on the fire and rescue squad because going to see his dead neighbors suffocated in grain got to him.

My cousin in Sturgis still works on the VFD. I couldn't do it either. I wouldn't mind the hard work part, but the death and dismemberment would get to me.

 

[CalG]

My cousin in Sturgis still works on the VFD. I couldn't do it either. I wouldn't mind the hard work part, but the death and dismemberment would get to me.

I do "ski patrol" or what we term "Mountain Rescue". Some of the calls trouble me years after..

 

[GrandpaSmurf825]

One would think that these days it wouldn't be such a common occurrence, but unfortunately it is. Last summer not to far from the farmer that I help an older (I think 81 year old farmer) became trapped in a bin. They put out a call to several departments. The local one had cut a hole in the side but still couldn't free him. When another one arrived they made the decision to cut larger holes and got him freed. He survived. I think communication is part of the issue. I was hauling grain in when this happened. I mentioned it at the local elevator and they hadn't even heard about it. What better way to keep awareness up then to have it be on their digital sign that gives grain prices.

Wagons and hopper bottom trailers can be lethal to kids too but that message doesn't get spread nearly enough.