The Greibrok brothers were breaking up rotten corn in a Glenville, Minn., bin earlier this month when disaster struck. David Greibok became stuck and knew he was in trouble.

Glenville Fire Chief Matt Webb and his father, Wes, were close by and first on the scene to help. They brought in rescue equipment to help free David. They were joined by more firefighters, who used a grain rescue tube and an auger to relieve some of the pressure and remove the corn.

“With any grain bin situation, you want to get the person out as quickly as possible. That grain is like quick sand, as you sink down in you can sink down out of sight,” Chief Jeff Laskowske with the Albert Lea Fire Department, told local TV station KTTC. “The grain itself can create pressure on the chest, not allowing a person to breathe, cutting off circulation to different parts of the body.”

Firefighters arrived on the scene just before 10 am that day and freed David Greibrok just before noon. Webb said Greibok is safe thanks to a great team effort and the grain entrapment rescue devices they had on hand.

According to Jeff Lavery, owner of KC Supply Co., the rescue tube is designed to act as a barrier to allow the pressure of the grain from being exerted on the trapped person. Once the tube is assembled around him, the grain is removed from inside the tube, allowing him to be gradually unburied. The steps on the inside of the tube allow first responders to provide first aid and other rescue activities – without standing on the person who is trapped.

Because the fire department had the right rescue equipment on hand, David Greibok’s story had a happy ending. KC Supply Co. supplied the fire department with the yellow rescue tube used in the rescue and offers a patented, red version of the rescue auger, Lavery said. The KC Supply Red Rescue Auger is a one-of-a-kind tool engineered specifically for grain entrapment rescues. KC Supply carries them in stock.

Every second counts in a rescue operation and being prepared for an emergency can mean the difference between life and death. If you don’t have the right grain entrapment rescue devices at the ready, you can find what you need today at KC Supply. KC Supply offers tubes, augers, and other critical rescue equipment. Contact KC Supply Co. today for all your grain entrapment rescue device needs.