A rescue effort lasting a few hours on a Yazoo County farm this week ended with success thanks to a complete team effort from local responders and surrounding agencies.
“This rescue effort is why building relationships with neighboring agencies is so important and crucial for rural emergency response,” said Jack Willingham, county emergency management director. “We pick up the phone, and our brothers come. We thank all who assisted in this incident.”
A team of workers on a farm, located on Whites Lane in Yazoo County, were performing routine maintenance inside a grain bin when one of the workers found himself in a dangerous situation.
“The worker was attempting to clear out an auger when it created a suction that pulled him in,” Willingham said.
First responders were quickly called to the scene to stabilize the inside of the bin to prevent the worker from sinking any deeper. Medical attention was provided, and equipment was then set up to extract the worker, taking three hours for the complete rescue.
“We were able to safely remove him after a tremendous group effort from our local teams and responding agencies,” Willingham said. “He was taken to a local hospital, but I believe he was fine following the incident. I can’t say enough good things about the team effort that was provided in this incident to lead to a successful rescue. We had about 50 to 60 people helping.”
Responding agencies included the Yazoo County Emergency Management Agency, District 3 Volunteer Fire Department, Dover Volunteer Fire Department, Air Care, the Leflore County Fire and EMA, the Madison County Fire Service, the city of Madison Fire Department, Ridgeland Fire Department, Indianola Fire Department, Sunflower County Fire and EMA, the city of Yazoo City Fire Department, Bolivar County Fire Department, Clinton Fire Department, Pafford Ambulance Service, Yazoo Valley Electric Power Association, the Yazoo County Sheriff’s Department and Farm Bureau.
