FOUNTAINTOWN, Ind. – Some members of an Indiana fire department underwent training on grain bin rescues just days before their newly obtained skills were put to successful use in helping remove a farmer buried above the waist in corn.

Two of the three newly trained firefighters in Fountaintown – Claire Gray and Drew Dupter – assisted in the Jan. 15 rescue in Shelby County.

Dupter, who was the first emergency responder to arrive, was more directly involved with the rescue but took a step back when firefighters with more specialized training from nearby Hancock County showed up.

“The more hands you get to help, the better for sure,” Gray said.

Dupter said the farmer didn’t seem to know what happened once he stepped through the almost ground level door of the mostly empty grain bin.

However, Dupter said there was a lot of grain stuck to the far wall about halfway up inside the roughly 30-foot-tall and 20-foot-wide metal container.

Once the farmer went inside, Dupter said it appears some of the crusted grain from a vibration, perhaps, broke loose and like an avalanche buried him above the waist.

“Based on everything we saw, that’s what makes the most sense,” he said.

Dupter said a rescue tube was placed around the farmer and deep into the corn surrounding him.

The tube acted as a shield around his body to allow the kernels to be vacuumed out away from his upper torso without more corn pouring into the gap.

Dupter said firefighters from Hancock County then came with a rescue auger, which more quickly lowered the level of corn inside the tube until the man was able to move legs.

Firefighters, on crates placed into the grain for support, put a harness fastened to a rope on the man and used a pulley system they installed to pull him out.

He was free in just short of one hour after somebody near the bin heard his calls for help and called 911, Gray said.

The farmer, whose name was not released, did not seek medical assistance.

Dupter said the man was not at-risk of sinking deeper into the grain because his feet were on the floor, but he was still in great danger. He said pressure from the weight of the grain can restrict blood circulation and, over time, cause gases to build up.

Dupter said the gases can trigger anything from cardiac arrest to sudden fainting.

He said that’s why rescuers had to move just quickly enough to free the man without causing a vibration that could bring down more of the corn.

“We had to work swiftly yet delicately to keep more of that grain from falling,” he said.

Dupter said anyone seeing grain stuck to a wall should not go inside but, instead, bang gently on the outside of the bin to try to bring it down. He said people from the door can also reach out across the inside of a bin with a long pipe or some other probe.

If those attempts fail, Dupter said people needing to go inside should make sure another person is nearby with a cellphone to call for help, if necessary.

People should also wear a harness tied to a safety rope so, if buried, emergency responders can find them quickly.

He said the rope can also be used by the person to see if they can pull themselves out.

Emergency responders from other surrounding jurisdictions were also called to assist with the rescue.

“Any type of engulfment, big or small, is definitely a major priority,” he said.

Gray said the training – about 60 miles to the south in Seymour – was offered during weekend sessions consisting of lectures from instructors and hands-on simulated rescues similar to the one that actually took place.