Farmers and their employees face dangers of being trapped in grain bins when trying to remove rotting or clumped grains. They could become buried by the fast-flowing grain within seconds.

Nationwide, the country’s largest farm insurance company, is hosting its fifth annual Nominate Your Fire Department Contest. This contest will be held in conjunction with Grain Bin Safety Week.

The campaign’s goal is to teach farm workers and first response personnel about safe bin-entry procedures. This includes keeping quality grain, testing the bin atmosphere for toxic gases and wearing appropriate safety equipment.

Nationwide has given grain bin rescue tubes and training sessions since 2014 to 48 fire departments from 18 states.

“It felt like an eternity,”Glenville Fire Chief Matt Webb from Glenville, Minnesota received Nationwide’s training in grain bin rescue.

Webb proved his abilities when he saved a man from a pile of rotting corn.

“The grain rescue training came back quickly, and it was a relief we had our own equipment. The program that’s out there for these tubes and training is such a life-saving resource in our county,”He says.

Grain Bin Safety Week 2018 is February 18-24. Nationwide hosts Grain Bin Safety Week 2018 and the Nominate My Fire Department Contest. This is made possible through the generous donations of industry sponsors.

“Grain Bin Safety Week would not happen without the generous support of our sponsors,” Liggett adds. “We would like to thank every sponsor for making this week and contest a reality.”

Grain Bin Safety Week was officially recognized by the governors of Iowa and South Dakota. The NECAS director regularly visits training sites with a grain entrapment simulation and a rescue tube to teach safety and rescue techniques.

“Nationwide created this program and joined forces with partners across the country to make it happen for a single purpose – to save lives,”Brad Liggett is the president of Nationwide Agribusiness.

The Nominate Your Fire Station Contest is open for applications until April 30, 2018. The winning fire departments will be awarded grants to purchase grain bin rescue tubes or training in grain bin rescue procedures.

For more information about the contest or the nomination process, visit grainbinsafetyweek.com.

For more information on Nationwide, please visit nationwide.com.