Indiana corn checkoff provides grain bin safety training to rural fire departments

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (Oct. 30, 2023) — Throughout October, the Indiana Corn Marketing Council (ICMC) partnered with insurance provider Nationwide through its Grain Bin Safety campaign to donate grain bin rescue tubes and training to several rural volunteer fire departments around the state. Additional training-only sessions were also made available.

The stations included those in Clark County (New Washington), Henry County (Dunreith), Jackson County (Seymour) and Knox County (Vincennes). In addition, a training session was given to the Huntington Volunteer Fire Department. On Nov. 11, training will be offered to volunteer firefighters in Perry County. The county has purchased two rescue tubes, and they plan to keep one in Leopold, Ind., and the other in Tell City, Ind.

In a little more than a year, ICMC has sponsored 15 training sessions across Indiana. New augers and rescue tubes were provided to 12 fire departments while other departments bought their own tubes and only required training. As of now, this program has trained 373 firefighters.

ICMC Board Member Susan Brocksmith, a farmer from Vincennes, Ind., said agriculture has many benefits as a career. However, there are also many physical hazards that could have life-changing results.

“We know that there are many potential dangers when working on a farm,” Brocksmith said. “A simple, careless mistake can become a crisis in a hurry. Grain bin entrapments are among those dangers. As the state’s corn checkoff, representing thousands of Indiana farmers, we believe that providing equipment and training to fire departments to help rescue farmers from a grain bin entrapment is a wise investment. I was happy to bring this to my community of Vincennes and Knox County.”

The statistics support Brocksmith’s claim of potential dangers. According to a study published by Purdue University in May, there were 83 reported cases of serious injuries while working on a U.S. farm in 2022 – 24 of those were fatalities. The 83 reported cases are an increase of nearly 41 percent on the 59 cases in 2021. Grain bin entrapments represented 42 of the 83 cases around the country. Iowa led the country with nine grain bin entrapments and 24 overall farm injury reports.

Iowa, along with Indiana, Illinois and Minnesota, typically lead the United States annually in total farm injury reports and grain bin entrapments. In 2022, Indiana, Minnesota and Ohio were tied for second in reported farm injuries with six each. Purdue researchers claim that their report is not comprehensive, and they estimate that as much as 30 percent of farm injury cases are undocumented and unreported.

Although the number of farm injuries increased last year, the percentage of fatalities dropped to 29 percent. Historically, 59 percent of reported farm accidents resulted in a death. The Purdue researchers suggest this could be because of increased preparedness and quicker response times by rural emergency services.

“As many public safety agencies and first responders are still recovering from the lack in depth and breadth of training simply not possible during the height of the COVID-19 outbreak, we are thankful for sponsors such as the Indiana Corn Marketing Council for sponsoring this grain bin training to address the needs of current and future responders within our communities,” said Dominic Martin, the Department Chair Fire Science in College of Business and Public Service at Vincennes University. “The Vincennes University Fire Science Program looks forward to working with ICMC and other industry sponsors in the near future for delivering additional timely response training for our communities’ first responders.”

For details on how to apply for a grant to receive grain bin rescue equipment or training, visit this link or contact ICMC Marketing Manager Melanie Batalis at mbatalis@incorn.org

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About Indiana Corn Marketing Council: The Indiana Corn Marketing Council was established by the Indiana General Assembly to promote the interests of corn growers in the state and to manage corn checkoff funds. The Council is composed of 17 voting directors who guide investments of corn checkoff funds on behalf of more than 20,000 Indiana corn farmers. The ICMC works to assist corn farmers through its strategic initiatives of market development; environmental, social and economic sustainability; value creation and producer engagement.