LFD receives grain bin rescue donation

     With only his head and shoulders poking above the surface of corn, Latimer firefighter Brian Folkerts quickly realized how fast routine farm work could turn into a life-threatening situation.
     “I can feel it heavy on my chest,” he said while his friends dug him out. “I can tell it would probably be a lot worse in a real grain bin.”
     Folkerts was buried as part of a special exercise held May 18 at Landus Co-op. Local emergency personnel gathered in a corn-filled trailer to test out new grain bin rescue equipment donated to the Latimer Fire Department by Farm Credit Services of America. The session was led by training specialist Dale Ekdahl, who explained multiple emergency scenarios that are common in rural communities like Franklin County.
     According to Ekdahl, the equipment has been vital in 10 successful grain bin rescues throughout the Midwest.
     Read the full article in the May 25 edition of the Hampton Chronicle.