According to the Canada Agricultural Safety Association (CASA), the number of people being trapped in grain is on the rise in Canada. With that in mind, CASA developed their BeGrainSafe program to help farmers, their families, workers and first responders recognize and manage the safety risks of grain through prevention, education, rescue training and on-site workplace training.

The BeGrainSafe mobile training trailer was in Kiping, SK  on Nov. 20 and 21 to provide training to local firefighters. Trainees gained valuable experience about the restricted breathing and crushing pressure of grain entrapment when they were harnessed in and sunk chest-deep in grain. They also learned important lessons about how to safely rescue someone who had been sucked down into grain.

The message was clear: once you are trapped in grain, you’re helpless. And grain isn’t the only material you need to worry about. Danger lurks with any free moving matter you can stack up, including fertilizers, gravel, sand, and more. In fact, anything that can come through an auger or conveyor belt poses significant danger. Check out the video above and learn more about the  BeGrainSafe program here.

Shout out to the employers of GSU’s Local 1 (Viterra) and Local 14 (Richardson Pioneer) for being among the safety-sponsors of the Nov. 20 and 21 firefighter training in Kipling.