Feature film ‘Silo’ shown at Ainsworth Opera House Community Center

AINSWORTH - A small crowd gathered at the Ainsworth Opera House Community Center Saturday night for a showing of the independent film Silo and a discussion with local officials about Washington County's plan should a grain entrapment occur.

The movie was hosted by the Iowa Center for Agricultural Safety & Health (I-CASH) and told the story of 18-year-old Cody Rose who fell victim to a grain entrapment while working inside a silo. The movie was based on true events and depicted what Ainsworth Fire Chief Waylon Schultz was a very realistic scene.

'The way the accident happened, that's very (comparable) to real life,” he said, referencing where the auger was turned on by someone who was not aware there was someone inside. 'Small communities like this, everybody probably knows whose involved so family members and friends coming in, that is all very real too.”

Michael Cavin, a firefighter with the Ainsworth department also spoke after the movie and said he felt it was very true to how accidents do happen and that the biggest downfall was a lack of safety measures.

'It's kind of scary at times to think of what can happen. Everything they showed is very capable of happening at any farm in southeast Iowa,” he said.

Agreeing with him was Farmers Coop Association Manager Brian Wood, said the movie was 'about as realistic as it can get.” In his own business, he has implemented several safety measures to prevent an accident like this from happening.

Schultz said in the event a grain entrapment does occur, the fire department is ready to assist. Because the grain is unstable and can act like quick sand, he said the department keeps milk crates and plastic flats, used to haul soda, on hand.

These are laid out across the grain for the rescuers to walk on, he said. Scoops are also at the ready for when the victim is reached to help remove the grain from around them.

No entrapments have occurred in Ainsworth since Schultz has been chief, he said, but one did happen in Brighton a few years ago. Both the Brighton and Ainsworth Fire Departments have tubes to assist a victim in the event of an entrapment, which is why the rescue was successful. That accident has prompted local departments to enact more safety measures, he said.

For structure fires, area departments are called in for assistance. Within the last three months, the departments have decided to do the same thing for grain bin rescue calls.

'We use that same alarm system so you're going to have multiple fire and rescue units coming (and) you're going to have a ladder truck from either Washington or Riverside, depending on whose closer,” he said.

Schultz said the ladder trucks are for the rescue but also for making sure safety equipment, such as an oxygen tank, can get to the victim faster. Overall, grain bin rescues require the assistance of everyone who can help.

'It's a massive undertaking and needs a lot of manpower,” he said.