CHS Northland Grain in Crookston recently donated the Crookston Fire Department a Rescue Auger. The auger can be used to help individuals who may get stuck or trapped in a bin containing grain or corn.
Crookston Firefighter Jim Perreault said the crew was doing some training at CHS Northland Grain this past summer, which sparked the idea for the auger. “We were doing some training on-site there, and we had come across a few issues with grain bin rescue,” said Perreault. “We then started asking and trying to come up with ideas from their group as to what we could get that would make that easier. Trent Brekken (Crookston Firefighter) ended up going to the CHS Northland Grain Manager, Robert Staehnke and asking if they could help us with that. They ended up giving us a check, and we were then able to purchase this Rescue Auger. It will make our life a lot easier if we end up needing to use it.”
In the past, a grain bin rescue operation would take longer and be much less efficient. With the Rescue Auger, the fire department will utilize their time and be more efficient in the event of an emergency. “What we came across during the training is that we would have to use these buckets to shovel the grain out,” said Perreault. “With the Rescue Auger, we can just shove it down, attach a drill too it, and it will move that grain way faster than we could ever do it with those buckets. It’s also a much tighter fit with the buckets, so this is going to be much better for us.”
Perreault also discussed the most common situation where the auger will be used. “If a farmer or even someone at CHS Northland Grain were to get stuck or knocked unconscious, that’s when we would go in there and put together this piece that lifts them to safety,” said Perreault. “We can now just put the Rescue Auger down there instead of using the buckets, and it will be a much smoother process removing the grain or corn from the lift that will bring them to safety. That is undoubtedly the most common situation where we would run into needing the Rescue Auger.
A picture of Crookston Firefighter Trent Brekken with CHS Northland Grain Manager Robert Staehnke can be found down below –
