Firefighters from 25 fire departments across Canada were trained on how to respond to grain entrapment incidents in 2022. (Photo: submitted by Canadian Agricultural Safety Association)

By Alice McFarlane

Hundreds of Canadian firefighters trained for grain entrapment rescues

Feb 10, 2023 | 11:04 AM

MELFORT, SK – The Canadian Agricultural Safety Association (CASA) said roughly 600 firefighters from 25 fire departments across Canada were trained on how to respond to grain entrapment incidents from February through November 2022.

CASA’s BeGrainSafe program raises awareness of the risks of becoming trapped in grain. It also trains firefighters in rescue techniques, and makes specialized grain rescue equipment available to rural fire departments.

Since BeGrainSafe’s inception in 2016, firefighters have been trained and provided with dozens of sets of rescue equipment in farming communities in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec.

CASA CEO Andrea Lear said the long-term support has allowed the program to thrive.

“BeGrainSafe messaging around prevention has increased, and more firefighters than ever have received the information they need to save lives to keep Canadian farms safe and sustainable,” Lear said.

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Russ Lloyd, BeGrainSafe Master Trainer and Safety Training Officer for the City of Sarnia, Ontario said they were able to train 87 firefighters in two weeks in their own department.

“Every day we respond to car accidents, kitchen fires, and incidents that we are well-trained in [and] that we respond to all the time. We don’t get agricultural calls frequently, but because of the lower frequency, there is a high potential of risk – of not getting there fast enough, or not knowing what to do,” Lloyd said. “The BeGrainSafe program helps fill those knowledge gaps.”

Grain entrapment is a potentially deadly risk for farmers and others who work around large volumes of grain, and specialized training and equipment are needed to safely extract victims.

Just last year, a Manitoba farmer who was trapped in grain was rescued by local firefighters who had received BeGrainSafe training and equipment.

The BeGrainSafe program is supported by the Canadian Agricultural Partnership, G3, Corteva Agriscience, CN, FMC, Agriculture Financial Services Corp., Alberta Canola, Alberta Wheat, Bayer Crop Science, Canadian Canola Growers Association, FCC, Nutrien Ag Solutions, SaskCanola, Sask Wheat, Viterra, Manitoba Canola Growers, Grain Farmers of Ontario, and the Prairie Oat Growers Association.

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