48 fire departments awarded grain rescue tubes, training through Nationwide safety program

In the past 50 years, more than 900 instances of grain engulfment have been reported, according to researchers at Purdue University. Of those incidents, 62% were fatal. In 2020, grain entrapments led to 20 deaths.

"It only takes seconds, or a simple mistake, for an adult to sink in the quicksand-like flow of grain and become fully entrapped or engulfed," says Brad Liggett, Nationwide's president of Agribusiness. "Adding to the risk is a lack of rescue equipment available to local fire departments and emergency responders who are called for help when a worker becomes trapped."

Since 2014, Nationwide has worked to address this issue with initiatives like the Grain Bin Safety program. The campaign strives to educate those entering grain bins about the hazards involved and the importance of implementing safe entry procedures. The Nominate Your Fire Department Contest is a centerpiece of the initiative. It is aimed at addressing the lack of specialized resources available to fire departments responding to bin entrapments.

"Nationwide has made it a mission to bring an end to this industry issue by raising awareness of the dangers and collecting funds to supply needed equipment to front line rescuers tasked with responding when accidents occur," Liggett says. "With long-standing roots in agriculture, we're thankful for the work America's farmers do and for the contributions of our valuable partners who help us make a difference in rural communities."

In partnership with the National Education Center for Agricultural Safety (NECAS), Nationwide is awarding 48 fire departments across the country with life-saving grain rescue tubes and hands-on training to prepare them to respond when entrapments occur.

The Need is Great

After receiving more than 1,000 nominations, Nationwide, in partnership with the National Education Center for Agricultural Safety (NECAS), is awarding 48 fire departments with grain rescue tubes and training in 2021.

1. Alexander Rescue Squad, Taylorsville, NC
2. Aurelius Volunteer Fire Department, Auburn, NY
3. Berlin Fire Department, Berlin, WI
4. Bloomington Fire, Bloomington, WI
5. Cambridge Springs Volunteer Fire Department, Cambridge Springs, PA
6. Camden-Wyoming Fire Company, Camden, DE
7. Citizens Volunteer Fire Company, Fawn Grove, PA
8. City of Mount Vernon Fire Department, Mount Vernon, IL
9. Clinton-Warren Joint Fire District, Clarksville, OH
10. Clontarf Fire Department, Clontarf, MN
11. Coggon Fire Department / Linn County District 7, Coggon, IA
12. Downs Fire Department, Downs, KS
13. East Pembroke Fire Department, Batavia, NY
14. Fair Grove Fire Protection District, Fair Grove, MO
15. Fillmore Volunteer Fire Department, Fillmore, IN
16. Franklin Township Volunteer Fire Department, Edinboro, PA
17. Friendsville Volunteer Fire & Rescue Department, Friendsville, MD
18. Grundy County Emergency Management, Grundy Center, IA
19. Jerome Township Division of Fire, Plain City, OH
20. Kewanee Community Fire Protection District, Kewanee, IL
21. Larned Fire Department, Larned, KS
22. Madelia Fire Department, Madelia, MN
23. Malden Fire Department, Malden, MO
24. Maxwell Community Volunteer Fire Department, Maxwell, TX
25. Mayville Fire & Rescue, Mayville, ND
26. Mendon Fire Department, Mendon, IL
27. Nemaha County Rural Fire District #4, Bern, KS
28. New Baden Fire Protection District, New Baden, IL
29. North Bollinger County Fire Protection District, Patton, MO
30. North Callaway Fire Protection District, Kingdom City, MO
31. Northrop Fire Department, Northrop, MN
32. Orlinda Volunteer Fire Department, Orlinda, TN
33. Oxford Volunteer Fire Department, Oxford, IA
34. Pembina Fire Department, Pembina, ND
35. Pikeville Volunteer Fire Department, Pikeville, TN
36. Rawlinsville Volunteer Fire Company, Holtwood, PA
37. Ripley Fire Department, Ripley, OH
38. Ronda Community Volunteer Fire Department, Ronda, NC
39. Rugby Volunteer Fire Department, Rugby, ND
40. Sargent Volunteer Fire & Rescue, Sargent, NE
41. Sequoyah County Rural Fire Protection District #1, Gore, OK
42. Sesser Fire Protection District, Sesser, IL
43. Shelby Volunteer Fire Department, Medina, NY
44. Summit Volunteer Fire Department, Summit, SD
45. Tri-County Fire Department, Waller, TX
46. Valley View Milling, Seneca, KS
47. Willards Volunteer Fire Department, Willards, MD
48. Xenia Fire Department, Xenia, IL

"We're incredibly proud to award more resources in 2021 than ever before and to continue growing these efforts until we can ensure every fire department that needs it has access to these critical rescue supplies," Liggett says.

To date, Nationwide and its partners have supplied 200 fire departments across 30 states with these resources. Along with Nationwide and NECAS, the program is also supported by the following partners: KC Supply, Specialty Risk Insurance, CHS, ProValue Insurance, Mid Atlantic Farm Credit, Lutz Agency, Inc., SBS Insurance Agency, Mark Bruns Agency, New York Farm Bureau, Ohio Farm Bureau, Maryland Farm Bureau, Delaware Farm Bureau, Pennsylvania Farm Bureau, West Side Salvage, Gregerson Salvage, Scoular Grain, GROWMARK, Graham Insurance Agency, Valley Insurance Agency Alliance, Beacon Insurance Group, Eclipse Insurance Agency, LLC, Mealiff Insurance & Financial Services, Rugby Insurance Agency, FNIC Group, AGI SureTrack, Jerome Village (owned and developed by Nationwide Realty Investors), Settlemyre Farms, Gallagher, ABIS, David Larson Financial and Insurance Services, Inc., Sump Saver, Ohio Corn & Wheat, NOHR Wortmann Engineering, and First Gabrielson Agency.

Visit Partner With Us to learn how you can get involved and become a sponsor.