By Mark Baker
No farmer leaves the house in the morning expecting to become trapped under his tractor, smothered in grain, or wrapped up in a tractor’s power take-off (PTO) or an auger. Yet, agricultural death rates consistently rank higher than deaths in any other profession. According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), between 1992 and 2009, 9,003 farmers and farm workers died from work-related injuries in the United States. The leading cause of death was tractor overturns.
Tractor Rollover
Responders must take special factors into consideration when responding to a farm setting and understand the machinery involved. Tractors are constructed of materials much stronger than responders are accustomed to finding in a vehicle extrication. For example, the cast iron used for control levers may shatter if exposed to forces applied by hydraulic cutters or spreaders.
Knowing how to shut off an unfamiliar piece of machinery can also be a challenge. In a tractor rollover, the difficulty in shutting off the engine can be compounded if a victim is trapped against or near the controls. The type of engine will affect the method used to shut it off. A tractor may continue to run even while overturned. In a gasoline engine, shutting it off can be as simple as turning a key. However, the key can be bypassed for a multitude of reasons and may not work. If the key is inaccessible or nonfunctional, pulling the coil wire while discharging a CO2 extinguisher will stall the engine and mitigate sparks. In a diesel engine, the fuel shutoff control is typically a pull knob. Locating it can be difficult, and it may be easy to overlook. The industry standard color for a fuel shutoff is orange, although a missing knob may be replaced with any color or style available. In the latest tractors, the control panels look more appropriate for a video game than for a farm implement. The best way to familiarize yourself with a variety of farm equipment is to visit a local farm implement dealership and ask a mechanic about the various shutdown procedures and alternatives.
Stabilization
The stability of a tractor in any position during extrication will test a department’s stabilization ability. Understanding the fundamentals of cribbing is crucial to the safety of the victim and responders.
Properly stabilizing a tractor presents several challenges because of the awkward framework. The center of gravity of an upside-down tractor allows for safe approach from uphill at the front or rear of the tractor. A tiered stabilization process can ensure safety while effectively securing the tractor.
If on an incline, placement of apparatus or other farm equipment may provide an anchor for attaching a come-along or chains to the uphill side of the tractor. Remember to cover the chain or cable with a tarp so it is more visible to the responders.
For a tractor on its top, begin stabilization by placing step cribbing on the sides of the tractor from the front position, if safely accessible. Alternately, struts may be placed from the ground to the frame. Ensure that the struts are long enough to allow lifting room; this will prevent the need to reset the front struts later. Secure struts to the rear end from the ground to the upper inside surface of the rim.
A tractor rolled onto its side is in the most unstable position, since it has only two points of contact with the ground. Thus, you must approach the tractor with extreme caution. Again, a tiered stabilization process can ensure safety while effectively securing the tractor. As when the tractor is on its top, the safe zones are still at the front and rear of the tractor.
Box cribbing placed at the opposite end of the tractor will create the fulcrum during lifting operations. During a front-end lift, the cribbing should support the drawbar if it is in good condition. Cribbing under the rear axle is acceptable as well. Typically, a tractor frame will extend beyond the grille of the tractor. If this “shelf” exists, a box crib built to support the tractor here would be ideal in a rear-lift situation. Placing the fulcrum closer to the victim will require a greater distance of travel to lift the tractor off the victim. When placing the cribbing, avoid positioning your hands between the cribbing and the tractor or other pieces of cribbing. The box cribbing at the end being lifted needs to be built as the tractor is raised. The rule of thumb, as with any extrication, is to lift an inch, crib an inch.
Step cribbing is a textbook form of backup cribbing that can be advanced from both sides as the lift occurs. Regard step cribbing as a supplement to the box cribbing and never as the sole method. Assign personnel to each stabilization point during the lift to ensure the cribbing and the struts remain in place and secure.
The position of the tractor, the victim, and the terrain will determine the lifting point. Lifting as close to the victim as safely as possible will create the greatest amount of travel with the least amount of lift. With proper stabilization, you can lift using air bags, a high-lift jack, or a hydraulic spreader. Use caution when placing your lifting apparatus. If lifting from the tractor tire, lift from the rim. Do not lift on the rubber part of the tire, as it may cause a rupture, and impinging a hydraulic line can create a high-pressure leak. If placing the air bags under the tractor’s hood, fill the void between the engine and the hood with cribbing to ensure part of the lift isn’t wasted on crushing the hood.
Grain Bin Entrapment
A grain bin rescue will test the limits of your available resources. With preplanning, including proper training and preidentified resources, you can attempt a grain bin rescue with a practical and organized approach. The proper number of personnel will ensure the response will be successful without compromising responder safety.
A variety of bin structures are used in industry. Bins are used for grain and seed, sand, road salt, sawdust, dry cement, coal, distiller’s grain, baking flour, and plastic pellets. The bin’s use may determine its size and construction. Common methods of grain storage include corrugated steel bins, concrete stave silos, poured concrete silos, and flat storage. Less common are converted oil refinery tanks and converted oxygen-limiting silos.
Understanding the types of bin construction will aid in formulating a plan of action when arriving on the scene. The crews responsible for making cuts in the bin need to be able to identify the type of bin construction to ensure efficiency and safety while cutting.
An essential concern when arriving on scene is locating the primary power source for the facility. You must disable the power, using lock-out and tag-out procedures, to ensure the safety of rescuers. Be sure to check with someone familiar with the facility to ensure that all sources of power, including the backup generator, have been neutralized.
Test and monitor the space for air quality. Calibrate the monitors outside of the bin, and monitor that air as well as the air inside the bin. Test the air inside the bin from outside of the structure. When testing, be sure to sample in several levels because of the possibility of the stratification of gases. Each entrant should wear a personal air-monitoring device. Perform and document air monitoring at regular intervals throughout the rescue effort. Use proper ventilation to improve air quality.
Each entrant must have the proper rope and harness. Grain bin ladders and other similar structures are commonly of lightweight metal construction. Do not use them as anchor points for life safety rope.
If the entrapped victim is partially visible, determine his level of consciousness. If conscious, reassure the victim. Throw a rope to the victim and ask him to tie it under his arms, if possible. Lower a dust mask or oxygen to the victim to assist with his respiration. Provide the victim with a hard hat. Attempt to determine if the victim entered the bin alone. Ask if he is aware of his body position in relation to the surface of the grain. He may have a leg or an arm extended away from the body.
Several commercial coffer dams (rescue tubes) are on the market. Each has a groove on one side of the panel and an opposing piece fitting that groove on the opposite side. Some slide through a channel running from the top to the bottom of the panel. Others butt against one another and clamp together. Be sure the channel is free of debris to ensure a relatively tight fit. Place the tube around the victim one panel at a time, being careful not to hit the patient. If the victim is conscious, he can fold his arms across his chest to ensure he doesn’t get hit by one of the panels. If the victim is unconscious, a rescuer will need to support him throughout the rescue.
Continue removing grain from inside the tube and advancing the tube farther into the grain until the victim can get free. The conscious victim can assist with the removal of grain from the tube. If the victim is young and healthy and has not been exposed to the elements or been struggling for an extended period, he may be able to free himself in knee-deep grain. If the victim is cold, overheated, or fatigued, digging may need to continue to the victim’s ankles. Once you have freed the victim from the grain, you can package and remove him from the bin
Flowing grain from the sides of the bin will allow you to locate the victim. Unload the bin evenly. Most grain bins are not designed to be loaded heavily on one side. Unloading grain from only one side of a bin may compromise the bin’s structural integrity. You can cut into the bin with several types of tools. Make each cut below the product line; do not disturb the bolt patterns, as previously discussed. Cutting below the product line negates the dust-to-air ratio needed to create a dust explosion. Have a charged line or fire extinguisher at each cutting location. Be sure a spotter is at the top hatch of the bin during the unloading operation to halt the process once you see the victim. Make cuts in a V shape with the point down. This will maintain the integrity of the bin sheet being cut. You can bend up the flap to allow grain to flow and reposition to control the flow of grain should the need arise. Stop the flow by bending the flap back into place; hold it in place with a cribbing wedge or bar. With thicker bin sheets, it may be necessary to use a hydraulic spreader to open the flap created by the V cut. If the bin has a side-draw system, use it instead of making a V-shaped cut. If the side draw is used, make sure the bin is evenly unloaded.
A department tour of local grain facilities in your jurisdiction can assist you in creating a preplan. Understanding the types of bins and products on site, where and how to lock out and tag out the power, and even the best areas for staging equipment will be most beneficial should your department be called to a grain bin rescue. Proper training and preplanning will help to increase the chances of victim survival, create a safer rescuer environment, and help remove the chaos from an already prolonged and exhausting extrication.
The above examples are just a fraction of the possible scenarios that may take place in a rural or an agricultural environment. Have your department work with area farmers, equipment dealers, or salvage yards to gain access to equipment and props to aid in training for these types of emergencies.
Stateline Farm Rescue, based in Orangeville, Illinois, was founded more than 20 years ago to fulfill the need for farm and agricultural rescue training in the upper Midwest. Each member of our highly trained instructor team has many years of fire and rescue experience and an excellent working knowledge of modern farm equipment and of the hazards involved with dangerous farm occupations.
BIO
Mark Baker is the owner/operator of Baker’s Acres Dairy in Orangeville, Illinois. He is a 28-year veteran of the Orangeville (IL) Volunteer Fire Department, has been a first responder for 20 years, and a member of the Stephenson County Technical Rescue Team for 20 years. He taught farm rescue for 30 years for several farm rescue agencies including the National Education Center for Ag Safety. He founded the Stateline Farm Rescue Program and is its lead instructor and coordinator.
