OSU team presents lifesaving training at GEAPS Exchange

Sunday, March 17, 2019

Oklahoma State University’s Grain Entrapment Prevention and Rescue Team is taking their mission to educate and save lives to the national stage. Carol Jones, a professor of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering at OSU, presented at the Grain Elevator and Processing Society (GEAPS) Exchange 2019 in New Orleans, Louisiana on March 9-12.

"The GEAPS Exchange is one of the premier grain and processing conferences and trade shows in the world,” Jones said. “OSU and our Grain Entrapment Prevention and Rescue Team are honored that we were invited to showcase our program and demonstrate to attendees, using our one-of-a-kind demonstration trailer, how training and preparedness at every level are vitally important when someone is entrapped in grain.”

GEAPS Exchange gives individuals in the grain industry the opportunity to network, find solutions and learn about new technology across the industry. More than 400 exhibitors participated in this year’s expo with more than 40 hours of education and social events. 

Jones’ team began partnering with OSU’s Fire Service Training (FST) in 2010 to create an awareness and safety operations program. The program features a 40-foot, fully contained trailer with a grain bin housed inside that allows grain workers and firefighters to receive safe, hands-on training in grain bin victim extraction.

“We never know how many lives are saved. We only hear of those that are not and one death is too many. No worker or emergency responder should ever have to say, 'We just didn't know what to do.' Our team is dedicated to providing that training," Jones said.

Dr. Erick Reynolds, Director of Fire Service Training added “The grain rescue/confined space rescue trailer was used at the GEAPs conference to highlight the impending problem of people being trapped, injured and/or killed in dangerous grain bin situations. This had a profound effect on all that witnessed the rescue demonstrations over the course of the 3-day conference. OSU had very positive interaction with these folks and OSU had many requests for training to be conducted at their locations.” 

“Being at this conference highlighted the commitment of OSU to serving the communities that support agriculture nationwide,” Reynolds said.  “In addition, it highlighted the fact that OSU is progressive in trying to find solutions to real world problems faced by all these agricultural related entities that store and handle grain in their particular business each and every day.”  

Story by: Kylie Moulton