The Municipality of Leamington is pleased to announce that it has been awarded grain rescue equipment by the Canadian Agricultural Safety Association (CASA), in partnership with Corteva Agriscience Canada.
Leamington Fire Services participated in BeGrainSafe (CASA’s grain safety program) in the fall of 2019. The BeGrainSafe training consists of one day of theory and a second day of practical training and evaluation, with an emphasis placed on firefighters learning how to extract a person trapped in grain safely, using a cofferdam and auger.
While training is key, a successful rescue could not happen without the proper equipment. CASA, in partnership with Corteva Agriscience, has provided the Municipality with a GSI RES-Q-TUBE and a Haul-ALL pencil auger, both of which are essential in rescuing a grain entrapment victim. When used in combination, the grain rescue tube creates a barrier between the victim and the grain while the auger helps rescuers quickly move the grain away from the victim.
“The Municipality would like to thank CASA and Corteva Agriscience for the generous donation of grain rescue equipment,” said Leamington Fire Chief Andrew Baird. “Leamington Fire Services experienced a grain entrapment emergency in the fall of 2019, which required rescue equipment from a neighbouring municipality. This donation means that we will be fully prepared to respond to any future grain entrapment emergencies. We look forward to training additional Leamington firefighters in grain entrapment rescue with CASA and our mutual aid partners in the near future.”
The BeGrainSafe program emphasizes prevention and raises awareness on the dangers of grain, alongside preparing fire departments for grain rescues.
“Harm prevention through awareness has always been a top priority for CASA, and this is never more true than with grain entrapment. However, it’s also important that fire departments are well trained and prepared with the proper equipment in the case of an incident,” says Robert Gobeil, CASA’s Agricultural Health and Safety Specialist. “Thanks to Corteva Agriscience, this life-saving equipment will be in the hands of those who need it.”
“We’re pleased that our support and partnership with CASA is making the Leamington community safer” says Kris Allen, Communications Leader, at Corteva Agriscience Canada. “Unexpected grain incidents can happen at any moment, so it’s important that local fire departments have access to life-saving grain safety training and rescue equipment.”
For more information about BeGrainSafe, including firefighter training, please visit casa-acsa.ca/grain or Contact CASA at 877-452-2272 or [email protected]