(Des Moines, IA) – Rural communities continue to face hazards associated with working in and around grain structures, as grain entrapments are the leading cause of confined space-relate injuries and deaths.¹ To help prevent tragic accidents, Nationwide and its partners provided life-saving grain rescue tubes and training to 58 fire departments across rural America through its 2024 Grain Bin Safety campaign.
In partnership with the National Education Center for Agricultural Safety, Nationwide and its partners have now supplied grain rescue equipment and training to 390 first responders across 32 states, eclipsing over $1.7 million in resources provided, to help prepare them when local grain entrapments occur.
“Grain bin accidents continue to be a critical issue facing the agriculture industry,” said Brad
Liggett, president of Agribusiness at Nationwide. “Since beginning the Grain Bin Safety
campaign in 2014, at least 13 fire departments have successfully used their rescue tubes and training to save entrapped individuals, with six rescues occurring just in 2024.”
After receiving over a thousand nominations in the 2024 Nominate Your Fire Department
Contest, an annual component of Nationwide’s Grain Bin Safety advocacy campaign, the insurer and its partners are proud to have awarded grain rescue tubes and training to 58
fire departments this year including these Ohio departments: Clinton Township Fire Department, Tiffin; Grafton Volunteer Fire Department, Grafton; Jefferson Township Fire Department, Bowersville; and Rome Fire Department, Rome.
NECAS, based out of Peosta, Iowa, delivered the rescue tubes and training to 58 fire departments, conducted re-training for seven additional fire departments, and hosted two unique presentations throughout 2024, traveling to each location with state-of-the-art grain
entrapment simulators. The comprehensive training sessions included classroom education and rescue simulations using the entrapment tools, which are loaded onto 20-foot trailers and able to hold about 100 bushels of grain each.
“With entrapments and accidents on the rise, it’s as important as ever to be following proper
safety precautions before entering a bin,” said Liggett. “Visit our Grain Bin Safety page to find educational resources and tools to help maintain grain quality and prevent accidents. Thank you to our generous partners who have supported this cause.”
Nationwide is continuing to work with partners throughout the year to provide additional grain rescue tubes and training sessions to fire departments in need. To learn how to get involved or sponsor a rescue tube for your local fire department, visit the Partner With Us webpage.
The program is supported by Nationwide, NECAS and the following generous partners:
KC Supply, NECAS, Nationwide Agribusiness, Indiana Corn Marketing Council,
Maryland Grain Producers, Horizon Farm Credit, Lutz Agency, Inc, Specialty Risk
Insurance, CHS, Delaware Soybean Board, Maryland Soybean Board, Valley View Agri-
Systems, Farm Credit Mid-America, ProValue Insurance, LLC, Delaware Farm Bureau,
GROWMARK, Gregerson Salvage, Inc., Kelly Jones Insurance Agency, LLC, West Side
Salvage, Nutrien, Noble Insurance Agency, LLC, Panichelle Insurance, Ohio Farm
Bureau, New York Farm Bureau, Maryland Farm Bureau, Pennsylvania Farm Bureau,
Mark Bruns Agency, Nationwide Agribusiness Marketing, ABIS/Assured Partners,
Gallagher, Tippecanoe Farm Bureau, TrueNorth Companies, Clouse Electric, Sump
Saver, Tiffin Farmers Cooperative, Gateway FS, Farm Credit IL, Clouse Construction,
NOHR Wortmann Engineering, IRMI, Clinton Township Fire Department, Chautauqua
Farm Bureau, Allen Excavating, G & L Shell.
Nominations for the 2025 contest open Jan. 1.
Nationwide, the Nationwide N and Eagle, Nationwide is on your side and Nationwide
Retirement Institute are service marks of Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company © 2024
Nationwide.
¹Source: 2023 Summary of U.S. Agricultural Confined Space-Related Injuries and Fatalities
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