North Callaway Fire Protection District receives life-saving grain tube

The North Callaway Fire Protection District received a grain rescue tube and auger to save farmers entrapped in grain.

Callaway County first responders received specialized training on the new equipment, which altogether costs $5,000.

The fire department received the grain rescue tube as a part of Grain Bin Safety Week and was one of four Missouri fire departments to receive one.

Director Dan Neenan of the National Education Center for Agricultural Safety said they've been partnering with the insurance company Nationwide since 2014 to deliver these tools and training to rural fire departments.

But the North Callaway Fire Protection District didn't have to foot the bill.

Bruce Graham, owner of Graham Insurance Agency in Fulton nominated the fire department to receive the grain rescue tube and then paid for it all.

"If someone is trapped in a bin, and this piece of equipment saves their life, it's invaluable. You can't value life. I have an opportunity to make the donation, and I'm thankful to have that opportunity," Graham said.

Neenan added farmers working inside grain bins get trapped when the grain gets just above their knees.

"We're going to take the six panels, each panel weighs about 23 pounds. We're going to build it around them then we're going to sink it down into the grain until it gets down to just about their feet. Then we're going to use the grain rescue auger and a cordless, brushless drill to be able to run that auger and evacuate the grain out which should take us about four to five minutes to be able to do that," Neenan said.

Neenan noted through this campaign five farmers have been saved with a grain rescue tube.