Moniteau County fire department awarded grant, gets rescue tool

On Tuesday night, a fire department in Moniteau County tested out a new tool to ensure safety for farmers.

The Jamestown Rural Fire Protection District is one of 16 agencies to receive a private grant. Part of the award includes a grain bin rescue tube that allows emergency crews to simulate a rescue inside a grain bin.

Dan Neenan, director of the National Education Center for Agricultural Safety, said bin dangers are often a result of the previous year’s harvest.

“2010 was the worst year on record in America and (the) 2009 harvest was late and put away with a high moisture content so that led to a lot of entrapment and fatalities in 2010,” Neenan told ABC 17 News.

Fire Chief Steve Borts said the grant will help all fire departments in the area learn how to use the equipment.

“It’s one of those things you hope you never have to use, but if we need (to), we have the equipment and now we’ll be trained to use it and that’s all possible through the grant,” said Borts.

Area farmers and firefighters from departments including California Rural, California City, Cole County, Cooper County, Tipton and Fulton Firefighters were at the training on Tuesday night.

The grant for the Jamestown Rural Fire Protection District is worth more than $8,000.