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Grain Bin Recovery Operation
On 8/19/09 the Hamilton County Technical Rescue Team (HCTRT) assisted the Lapel Fire Department (Madison County) with a grain bin recovery. A 51 year old worker at an industrial farm complex was engulfed by soy beans. A co-worker discovered the missing man and called 911. Only 400’ away from the site, the Lapel Volunteer FD responded and activated HCTRT immediately. First responders quickly determined this was a recovery, controlled the site, denied entry, and waited for HCTRT.
I arrived and was assigned Operations Section Chief by the Lapel IC, with HCTRT assuming the rescue branch. Working with facility management, local farmers, trucking companies and various municipal and private sector entities, the man was recovered in just under 10 hours.
Three holes were cut and beans removed using a combination of the Rescue Vac System supported by 2 municipal vac trucks from the City of Anderson, 2 farm vacs, and a portable auger.
Hampered by a strong line of storms with lightning, operations were halted for over an hour and rescuers removed from the site to a safe building located by the safety officer. Rescuers worked through temperatures in the upper 80’s and high humidity.
In short: first responders performed as trained. They activated TRT quickly, but most importantly……..determined this was a recovery, specialized equipment and training would be needed, and no entry attempts were made.
60% of confined space deaths are would-be rescuers. These responders made a conscious decision based on their training that they were not going to become a statistic.
Of the over 70 responders…….zero injuries-all responders went home.
Dispatch centers did an excellent job, Madison County Emergency Management provided tremendous support, and non-public safety workers did everything asked of them-integrating well with public safety responders.
Steve White
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