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College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences

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Ag Safety Grain Bin Rescue Demonstrations Return to Farm Science Review

August 12, 2010

LONDON, Ohio – Last year's popular grain bin rescue demonstrations highlighting the proper safety precautions of grain storage and handling are returning to Ohio State University's Farm Science Review.

Dee Jepsen, Ohio State University Extension state safety leader, said that more times have been added to the daily demonstrations to accommodate more requests for information related to the potential risks when working with grain on the farm.

OSU Extension, in partnership with Heritage Cooperative and City of Urbana Fire Division, is featuring Agricultural Grain Bin Rescue demonstrations designed to educate both emergency crews and farming communities on the appropriate techniques for utilizing rescue equipment in agricultural emergencies. Additional partners, including Pleasant Valley Joint Fire District, City of London Fire Department, and Central Townships Joint Fire District, will be conducting the rescue demonstrations.

"In the past 10 years, Ohio has experienced 19 fatalities from grain engulfments," said Jepsen. "The demonstrations are designed to help bridge the knowledge gap between emergency personnel and farming incidents they may encounter, in addition to providing farming families with steps they can take before the emergency personnel arrive."

The Agricultural Grain Bin Rescue demonstrations will be held daily every hour on the half-hour from 9:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. in the Safety Education Area on Friday Avenue and Land Avenue of the exhibit area. Farm Science Review will take place Sept. 21-23 at the Molly Caren Agricultural Center in London, Ohio.

With more on-farm storage systems being built comes an increased risk for grain engulfments. Jepsen said that the rescue demonstrations serve two purposes: to demonstrate the hazards of grain engulfment and to educate emergency personnel on the unique equipment needed during grain rescue runs.

"There is a continual need for rural medics and fire departments to understand the complexity of an agricultural incident. They are dealing with equipment and environmental conditions they normally wouldn't see in a rescue situation," said Jepsen. "Knowing how to shut off the equipment or isolate an entrapped victim is important to preventing further injury or even death."

In addition to the grain rescue demonstrations, the Safety Education Area will also highlight a new exhibit on electrical safety around grain bins. The self-guided exhibit is intended to educate visitors on the dangers of arcing electricity between grain bin power lines and farm equipment.

Other ag safety exhibits taking place include:

• AgrAbility program in Ohio, which serves those in agriculture who have disabilities. AgrAbility will also be represented at the Universal Design exhibit in the McCormick Building on Friday Avenue.

• An ATV/UTV safety display. The display will focus on the proper way to dress when operating either type of vehicle, how to fit an ATV to the rider and how to properly operate an ATV and UTV.

• Roadway safety exhibit on the laws and proper procedures for displaying the SMV (Slow Moving Vehicle) symbol on farm equipment.

• Ag Challenge trivia game for youth. The daily event, which takes place in the Firebaugh Building on Friday Avenue, will challenge attendees in areas of ag safety, farm management, and other ag-related topics.

Farm Science Review is sponsored by the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences, Ohio State University Extension, and the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center. It attracts upwards of 140,000 visitors from all over the country and Canada, who come for three days to peruse 4,000 product lines from 600 commercial exhibitors, and learn the latest in agricultural research, conservation, family and nutrition, and gardening and landscape.

Farm Science Review pre-show tickets are now on sale for $5 at all OSU Extension county offices. Tickets will also be available at local agribusinesses. Tickets are $8 at the gate. Children 5 and younger are admitted free. Hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sept. 21-22 and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sept. 23.

For more information, log on to http://fsr.osu.edu. For the latest news and updates, follow Farm Science Review on Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/OhioStateFSR), Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/FarmScienceReview), and Ning (http://fsrosu.ning.com).

Author(s): 
Candace Pollock
Source(s): 
Dee Jepsen