Local Firefighters, EMS Personnel Learn the Basics of Farm-Related Emergency Rescues

Some local and regional firefighters are now better prepared on what to do if called out to a farm-related emergency.

Over the weekend, the Carnesville Fire Department hosted a Farm Medic training class taught by the Georgia EMS Association and funded by the Ga Trauma Commission.

Carnesville Assistant Fire Chief Clayton Bryant said firefighters from Franklin, Barrow, Lumpkin, and Stephens County attended the class, as well as some Franklin County EMS personnel.

In addition to class time, attendees were able to get some hands-on training with some farm equipment.

Bryant said one of the pieces of equipment they trained on was a hay baler and what to do if a farmer gets caught in one.

“If a farmer or someone working on a hay baler was to become entrapped, how would we go about cutting it, disassembling it, and taking it apart to get that person free. So that’s what they were doing with that,” Bryant said.

Another group of firefighters trained on how to manually rescue a farmer trapped under an overturned tractor.

“A lot of times when people get injured on farm equipment, it’s a good ways away off the road where your typical fire and rescue trucks can’t get to,” he explained. “So, they really hammered on the usage of manual tools. They had a cable-type come-along device there like a winch that was manually operated and using a high-lift jack, basic cribbing.”

Another rescue scenario Bryant said was what to do when a farmer is trapped inside a grain bin or silo.

“If a farmer or someone doing maintenance inside a grain bin gets trapped, how to use a device called a ‘great wall’ is what they had to put around that individual to dig them out and free them,” he said. “It was pretty good training.”

The Carnesville Fire Department has had a number of emergency training classes over the past several months and Bryant said more are planned both for emergency and safety personnel as well as the public.