The Rural Voice, 2004-11, Page 18"the first thing we would do is get the
vehicle between us and the animal so
we don't have to worry while tending
to the injured person. They can ram
our vehicles as long as they don't get
to the guys," said Josling.
Rolling tractors, power takeoffs
and temperamental animals aren't the
only dangers on the farm. Workers
can be overcome by gases from a
Manure pit or silo. Silo rescue poses
specific challenges as well as this is
classified as confined spaces rescue.
"It's a small area you have to get
into. That's a whole different game,"
said Josling.
Should the silo be full, there is the
danger of deadly silo gas. In the
middle of winter, the emergency is
more likely to be entanglement in the
silo unloader. "In cases involving a
silo, unfortunately, it tends to be
more recovery than rescue."
The double tragedy here is that
without specialized training.
the recovery can often involve
one of their own colleagues. Parish
notes that 50 per cent of fatalities in
rescue are of the rescuers. "In
training we like to point out the
hazards so the firefighters can make
informed decisions."
"Firefighters who want this
specialized training have to keep up
with it. If something like a small
space rescue comes up they have to
think quickly about whether they can
do the rescue and do it safely," said
Parish.
"We unfairly perhaps say that
we're number one, the victim is
number two. The victim got into the
situation somehow. We have to
ensure that we can do what we need
to do without any harm to our
people."
Many firefighters don't have an
air -line system or self-contained
breathing system. "They don't want
anything big and bulky when they go
into these very restrictive spaces so
they are at risk," explained Parish.
Training, particularly hands on,
therefore is key to saving lives.
Currently the Blyth centre has a
small silo, though Josling expects
that down the road there will be a
second higher silo added. "This
would assist with training for high
angle rescue — bringing someone
out of a silo. Silos here can often be
110 -feet high. It wouldn't be
14 THE RURAL VOICE
uncommon to have to go in and get
someone out. We want to be
prepared. "
While farm rescue is one of the
programs offered by MHTA, another
linked to agriculture deals with hydro
carbon and CO. "This is two days of
training on natural gas/propane, then
the last day is on CO. It's a hands-on
demonstration that once a firefighter
completes it he could almost go into
a situation as an investigator."
Fighting a fire on a farm comes
with plenty of unknowns. Trying to
remove any animals from the barn
can be difficult as they are frightened
and want to seek protection back in
the barn. Also, many of the items in
barns are toxic and/or highly
combustible. "We do a lot of training
in (hazardous material response),"
said Parish. "Farms don't fall under
the Ministry of Labour, as such, so
sometimes their hazardous storage is
not always up to standards. We teach
firefighters to identify the problem on
the farm."
"It's a dangerous job and
complicated," said Josling. "It's not
simply putting wet stuff on the red
stuff.
"The main thing for us is how to
handle large quantities of
combustible materials. With hay for
example, we use lots of water and a
foam agent to make the water
wetter," said Josling.
The chief adds that there is a 24-
hour chemical phone line for fires
and spills that they use to help them
better understand what they are
dealing with and how to handle it.
"You don't necessarily try to put
them out. Some chemicals are
Fire -fighting farmers have
edge at farm emergencies
By Bonnie Gropp
One of the most important
things about fire and rescue
training for agricultural
areas, is understanding the
challenges and perils presented in
each situation. While a barn may
house chemicals that could prove
toxic in a fire, farm machinery
could prove lethal if handled with
ignorance.
One might assume that rural
departments would probably have
the best trained personnel as they
live the life. However, John Parish,
a volunteer firefighter with Leeds
and Thousand Islands Department,
and co-ordinator of the emergency
program with the Municipal Health
and Safety Association, said this is
not necessarily true.
In farm -related training programs
taught all over Ontario, one of the
first questions asked of firefighters
is how many have an agricultural
background. "Most don't. The
majority live in a rural area, but
work in an urban setting."
However, Parish adds, that the
area dictates this quite a bit. In
Huron County, which is
predominantly agriculture, the trend
is different.
Calvin Semple. fire chief of the
21 -member Grey Fire Department,
located in the tiny hamlet of Ethel,
said that 95 per cent of his
firefighters have a farm background.
This is, he feels, advantageous to
them in handling rural emergencies.
"Farmers are mechanics and
carpenters. They are familiar with
the chemicals on a farm and the risk
potential. It's a big advantage for
us, especially when someone is
trapped in machinery. We know
,how to take it apart to get them out
quickly."
Another advantage Semple noted
is attendance. "One of the biggest
pluses is that when the sun's
shining, you're going to get a good
turnout. They're all at home
working."
He said in his 20 years with the
Grey department, he can only recall
a handful of times when they were a
little short on help.
Also, as the firefighters may live a
fair distance from the firehall, the
majority respond directly to the call.
Only a few, who reside in Ethel go
to the trucks. "In a medical call it's
a great advantage."
"I can even think of a couple of
cases when the guys had rescued a
dog or cat from a burning house
before the trucks arrived."0