Kylie Fischer, who will be an eighth-grader at Sleepy Eye Public School this fall, said her concern for grain bin and farm safety drove her to lead the program as a 4-H and FFA project.

Brown County Free Fair 4-H show-goers should be familiar with her. Fischer was advanced to the Minnesota State Fair a number of times, mostly for her rabbits and a rug that was grand champion.

“I did this to raise awareness and get everybody trained on grain bin safety. You’re never completely safe around a grain bin. You never really know everything that could happen. They’re very unpredictable,” said Fischer.

She volunteered to climb into a grain bin (entrapment) training trailer and began sinking into a pile of small plastic pieces that simulate grain.

Staff photo by Fritz Busch Surrounded by Safety and Security Consultation Specialist company owner Jack Volz, left, and Sleepy Eye farmers and first responders, Kylie Fischer of Sleepy Eye starts sinking in a grain bin entrapment training device in Sleepy Eye Hockey Arena Wednesday.

Fischer sank up to her waist. After firefighters placed an entrapment extraction device around her, they began bailing her out with buckets and an auger before she climbed out.

“It was a little hard to breathe. It wasn’t fun, but it was a good training experience,” Fischer said about the extraction.

She said FFA and 4-H programs have helped her develop into a program leader.

“They’ve really helped me become comfortable with public speaking. I encourage students to join both organizations,” said Fischer.

She plans to show rabbits, a goat, cow and her projects for the Northwest Wildflowers 4-H Club and Sleepy Eye FFA at the Brown County Fair.

Safety and Security Consultation Specialists business owner Jack Volz of Minnesota Lake said important grain bin safety includes turning off the grain unloading equipment before a farmer gets into a bin, having another individual watching them, labeling switches and shut-off breakers, turning on bin fans and calling 911 for help.

“I’ve worked 17 entrapments in my life. A week ago, I was called to a (fatal incident) near Milroy where a 61-year-old man was trapped at the bottom of a 50,000 bushel bin of soybeans. There was a lot of grain to be moved,” he said.

Volz said he’s responded to entrapments in bins holding up to a million bushels of soybeans.

“I’ve responded to four Minnesota entrapments so far this year. I’ll gladly come and work with fire departments at bin entrapments. I’ve been doing this since a close, personal friend of mine was in an entrapment in 1995. It lit a fire in me. Back then, 95% of people trapped in a bin didn’t live. Now, 65% of them make it, thanks to more education, training, tools and equipment,” he said.

Other program speakers were Sleepy Eye Fire Chief Aaron Schauman, Gibbon Fire Department Captain Nate Firle, Redwood Area Hospital Dietician Natalie Mathiowetz, Safety, an American Red Cross representative and Security

“Kylie (Fischer) put a lot of time and effort into this (grain bin and farm safety program). She deserves a round of applause for doing this,” said Schauman. “The Gibbon Fire Department is here with their grain bin extraction equipment. This training is very beneficial to all of us,” he said.

Gibbon Fire Captain Nate Firle said his fire department responded to a grain bin entrapment in 2019.

“We were able to rescue a farmer from the bottom of a grain bin. We did fund-raising and got a trailer with equipment so we are better prepared for grain bin entrapment and other rescues,” said Firle.

Sleepy Eye Ambulance Service Director Shari Hittesdorf talked about the importance of training.

“This is always huge. Please keep training. Know how to do CPR and First Aid procedures. It’s huge,” she said.