Farm Bureaus Partner to Hold Grain Bin Rescue Training Workshops in Northeast Louisiana

By Monica Velasquez
Louisiana Farm Bureau News

The Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation (LFBF) and Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation will hold their annual Grain Bin Rescue Training workshops in early February across northeast Louisiana. This will be the first in-person workshop since the COVID-19 pandemic canceled workshops in 2020. 

These workshops provide essential training tools for local volunteer and full-time firefighters, as well as anyone who works in agriculture. According to Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation Safety Director Wendell Miley, it is important to have local first responders involved in agricultural safety. 

“This is truly an educational program for the farmers themselves,” Miley said.  “We have the firefighters there to show them and let them get in the grain bin and do an actual rescue, to show them the steps that it takes to safely and effectively remove somebody who has been trapped in a grain bin.”

According to Miley, most grain bin rescues can take up to three to four hours, due to the pressure of the grain, and are never a one-man rescue. He said once the grain goes past a person’s knees, they cannot move, similar to being trapped in concrete. 

The grain bin rescue training workshop series began after a fatality in Caddo Parish in 2013, and it has grown into a popular program in rural Louisiana.

LFBF Programs Assistant Matt Sirgo says preparation is key for a successful rescue. 

“If you run into something without being prepared, you’re going to run into a lot of chaos, and the people around you may not do what they need to do,” Sirgo said. “This is why it’s good to prepare and allow people to practice in a controlled manner because you’ll always revert to your practice. If you have no training, you may not know what to do but if you allow yourself the time to come out and take this class, then you just might be the person they look to one day”.

The workshop series will begin on Tuesday, February 8 at Tony Janes Farm in Oak Grove at 5:30 p.m., then Wednesday, February 9 at Consolidated Grain & Barge Elevator in Vidalia at 9 a.m. and wrap up on Thursday, February 10 at Louisiana Delta Community College and Franklin Parish Activity Center in Winnsboro at 5:30 p.m. Each workshop will have a meal provided along with classroom instruction before attempting a simulated grain bin rescue.

Space is limited and registration is recommended for meal planning. Visit www.lafarmbureau.org to register for one of the workshops.