Kellogg American Legion donates funds for rescue auger to Kellogg Fire Deparment

The Kellogg Fire Department received a donation from the Kellogg American Legion Ben Morgan Post No 355 for a rescue auger to help with grain bin rescues.

“The Legion knew we were needing something like this and donated it to us,” Dennis Witte, member of the Legion and fire department said.

The auger, which is manufactured by JPZ Products in Iowa, is compatible with any grain rescue tube, and is powered by a half inch cordless drill and has a flow rate of 1.5 bushels per minute. The fire department plans on using it alongside the rescue tube that was donated previously.

The auger works by cycling out the grain that is around the person after they have been placed in the rescue tube. By removing the grain, pressure against the body of the person is relieved during the rescue.

There is a protective shield on the bottom of the auger so the person’s feet will not be pulled in as the grain is being cycled out. It is safer than the current method of vacuuming the grain out, which can lead to a large amount of dust that is potentially explosive.

The auger cost $800 and was tested at the fire department’s recent grain bin rescue training exercise. To simulate a rescue situation, a “victim” was placed in a bin and surrounded by grain.

The rescue team used the rescue tube along with the rescue auger to removed the grain surrounding the victim and eventually freeing them from the bin. Both Wite and Fire Department Captain Calvin Dhondt agreed that it worked really well.

The training comes just weeks after the Kellogg Fire Department along with several other fire departments and law enforcement agencies responded to a grain bin rescue occur south of Newton. The rescue auger was not yet available, but the rescue tube was used and the individual was freed and received treatment on the scene.

Contact Staff Writer Jamee A. Pierson at (641) 792-3121 ext. 6534 or jpierson@newtondailynews.com.