Officials with Woodrill Ltd. are hoping a new grain extrication tool will soon be available to all fire departments in Wellington County.
Last week Woodrill donated the tool to the Mapleton and Minto Fire Departments for their use in helping to rescue people trapped in grain bins.
There are many grain storage bins in the north Wellington and the risks related with entering grain bins are substantial, so Woodrill wants to raise awareness of the need for grain bin safety, and to make the best possible equipment available for rescuers in Wellington and Dufferin Counties.
Fire chiefs Rick Richardson (Mapleton) and Chris Harrow (Minto) accepted the extrication tools from Woodrill representatives Peter Hannam and Jim Timmings at Holtz Grain, near Teviotdale, which is a satellite grain receiving location for Woodrill.
Officials say the grain extrication tool is a well-designed, easy-to-use stainless steel device that can be lifted into any grain bin, and inserted into the grain to prevent further grain slides while grain inside the device is removed.
The tool, manufactured by the Lambton County 4-H Farm Safety Club, will be shared by the Drayton, Moorefield, Palmerston, Harriston and Clifford fire stations.
Woodrill, a crop supply and grain elevator business, is in discussions with other fire departments to make the tool available in the rest of Wellington County and beyond.
