Foley Fire Department receives grain rescue equipment from Alabama Farmers Co-Op

By Jessica Vaughn
Posted 7/28/20

FOLEY - The Foley Fire Department recently received donated grain rescue equipment from the Alabama Farmers Co-Op. The equipment is worth approximately $3,500 and can be housed on the department’s …

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Subscribe to continue reading. Already a subscriber? Sign in

Get the gift of local news. All subscriptions 50% off for a limited time!

You can cancel anytime.
 

Please log in to continue

Log in

Foley Fire Department receives grain rescue equipment from Alabama Farmers Co-Op

Posted

FOLEY - The Foley Fire Department recently received donated grain rescue equipment from the Alabama Farmers Co-Op. The equipment is worth approximately $3,500 and can be housed on the department’s technical rescue trailer.

“For several years the cooperative has been trying to promote education and training for rescuing grain entrapment situations,” said Foley Fire Chief Joey Darby. “Grain is much like quicksand in big bins, you get in and the harder you work the lower you go. There’s been a number of people throughout the country that have been injured and unfortunately killed in those types of incidents.”

Approximately two years ago, the Alabama Farmers Co-Op began a program to purchase and place equipment throughout the state to help stop these incidents. Rescue crews stand on crates atop the grain when performing rescues. Crews then assemble panels into a tube around the victim and drive them downwards into the grain. An auger system is then used to auger the grain out from around the victim. Once completed, the rescue crews are able to deploy ropes and rescue tools to lift the victim out of the tube. The process requires four to five crew members to be performed properly.

As part of the program, the Alabama Farmers Cooperative offers preliminary and advanced training to crews.

“I think this can be a great asset to our area, and obviously there’s a lot more potential outside of just the City of Foley to respond with this equipment,” Darby said. “There’s a number of farmers that have onsite grain storage, especially at some of our bigger farms in the Elberta and Summerdale areas.”