By Glenn Koster
Harvey County Independent – November 21, 2013
Submitted by Newz Group Clipping Service – December 9, 2013
It took several months of planning but the efforts paid off for the Bentley Fire Department last week as it hosted a Grain Engulfment Training exercise for the department and local co-op. Covering two full evenings, the training culminated in mock rescue of individuals trapped in grain storage facilities.
Fire Chief Donnie Bean was the driving force behind obtaining the training, working very closely with the co-op from the start. In addition to having co-op personnel involved in the training, the co-op also provided the grain used in the procedures.
“I think it is important for us to get a basic knowledge of what to do and what not to do,” Bean said.
With the addition of the new Farmers Cooperative Elevator Company Facility in Bentley, the timing of the training was perfect.
The Kansas Fire and Rescue Training Institute, from the University of Kansas, provided the equipment and instructors for the training at no cost to the department. The only requirement for the training is that local grain storage facility employees train with the fire department.
The KU program puts on more than 100 such trainings each year, but Chief Bean offered enthusiastic support for the program.
“They’re booked clear into next year, but they were very accommodating to our local needs,” Beans offered.
The lead instructor for the course, Mike Cook, is a retired Fort Riley Fire Chief.
Cook explained that he knows of at least one department that has had to use the training taught in the program to rescue one of its own. “I’m glad to say it was a successful rescue,” Cook said.
“You really hope you never have to use this type of training,” Cook explained, “but it is vital to know how in the event of an emergency because most departments are so far from other help.”
Elaborating on the point, Cook explained that his training team works year-round covering almost 30,000 miles a year in virtually every Kansas county.
In an interesting sidebar to the training in Bentley, several individuals pointed out the rig used for the class was built in Harvey County by Unruh Fire of Sedgwick.
The rig used includes both a mini-silo for training for silo rescues and an open hopper bin.
The silo training involved burying a “victim” waist deep in the grain, with two firefighters lowered in to complete the rescue. The open hopper rescue had the twin focus of self-rescues and rescuing a victim.
The training also featured instruction and practice on proper bin cutting techniques designed to protect both the fire department and the victims.
Chad Mayberry, Captain of the Winfield Fire Department, and Tim Pitts, Captain on the Hutchinson Fire Department, assisted with the training.
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