Lowndes County VFD gets a free gift from Farm Bureau

LOWNDES COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – The Lowndes County Volunteer Fire Department gets an early Christmas present.

Some specialized equipment, donated by Mississippi Farm Bureau, could help the department save lives in Farm emergencies.

Rescuing from grain silos, yes, you heard that right.

It’s a situation not many think is a possibility, but it happens.

With this new tool, Lowndes County Volunteers feel better equipped to serve their area and the surrounding ones.

For fire departments, there’s a response call that has nothing to do with fire but requires proper training… having someone trapped in a grain bin.

“Once you get the weight of the grain start pressing on you, it’s very hard… impossible to get out,” said District 2 Chief of Lowndes County VFD, Andy Grant.

The proper equipment for rescue operations can run a department up several thousand dollars, but thanks to Mississippi Farm Bureau, Lowndes County volunteers are getting what they need free of charge.

“That’s an honor,” Grant said. “I mean, that goes to say a whole lot about Mississippi Farm Bureau that we have that, and it gives multiple agents a chance to use this tool.”

Grant says this type of call is unusual and isn’t something you necessarily want to happen, but when the situation comes, Lowndes County will be ready.

“Who’s to say we won’t ever use it, but who’s to say we will use it,” said Grant. “If we are presented with that problem, we have the equipment to handle it. This is bettering the county, bettering the fire service, making us a better asset for the community.”

Rescue tubes are popping up across our area, with one rescue already performed in Calhoun County.