Grain rescue tubes address Ag safety

by Ranee Fladung
After losing a son in a grain bin accident, Roger Stutsman of Hills has made farm safety his mission so other families don’t have to feel his pain.

Hills Fire Captian Jason Vannevel (left) and Roger Stutsman (right) lock the grain rescue tube in place around Hills Fire Chief Jim Malmberg Saturday in a demonstration of how the tube is used to rescue victims trapped in grain bins. (Photo by Ranee Fladung)

Saturday Stutsman donated a rescue tube to the Hills Fire Department to help emergency responders rescue a victim stuck in a grain bin. “This is a great gift from Roger. Small communities have limited funds and you never know when you’ll need something like this,” said Guy Sommers, Hills Fire Department Captain.
The grain rescue tube, a four panel system with four steps on each panel weighs approximately 60 lbs. and hooks together around the victim, costs about $2,500.
Stutsman thanked those who donated toward the tube, noting that it only took four calls to raise the first $2,000. Stutsman along with Hills Fire chief Jim Malmberg demonstrated how the rescue tube is pushed down in the grain around a victim trapped in a grain bin. Once around the victim, it’s locked in place, and a vaccum is used to suck the corn away from the person in the tube so he can crawl out to safety.
“I hope they never ever have to use it,” said Stutsman. “I would like to see fire and rescue departments all over the state of Iowa with rescue tubes on hand.”
Stutsman asked Congressman Dave Loebsack during the ag forum to establish tax credits for farmers to help retro fit old equipment with new safety features. Although tax credits aren’t the only way to go, Stutsman admits, it is a step toward saving lives that he feels is only logical.
Aging farmers are crawling up and down bins on tiny ladders that have no safety features, and often at times when they have been in the fields all day and are tired. Bins can be fitted with stairs and platforms but the prices are astronomical. Roger Slaughter, sales representative at Eldon C. Stutsmans in Hills, said the cost to fit a bin with stairs and railings can be up to $5,000 per bin. Most farmers have more than three bins. For Stutsman, who has 30 bins, the cost would exceed $150,000 to make each bin safer.
“Ag is where the food production occurs in this country,” said Loebsack. “We owe it to our farmers to do all we can to prevent accidents through education efforts and minimizing losses for these folks.”
Approximately 30 people attended the presentation and ag forum held with Congressman Loebsack.