Grain bin rescue course planned

The P.E.I. Firefighters Association is putting together plans for a new grain bin rescue course.

Chief instructor Miles Boulter said the course would look at preventing accidents and show people how to safely get out of a grain bin should they fall in.

Boulter said there was not any specific event that led to the creation of the course, but awareness and information can eliminate a lot of problems.

"We have a confined space course that we do for fire and industry and we're working a tank into it, another tank, into our simulator," said Boulter.

"When that tank is in we can use it for grain bin or whatever else you want to use it for. Farming is a high hazard occupation and training is like everything else, it's necessary."

The tank should be installed in the next three months, and training will begin in about a year.

The P.E.I. Federation of Agriculture was planning on offering a similar course in the fall, but the federation now says it will direct farmers to the course offered by the Firefighters Association.