Researchers at Purdue University, Indiana, say more than 900 cases of grain entrapment were reported over the last 50 years, resulting in a fatality rate of 62 percent.

In 2010, at least 26 American farm workers were killed in grain entrapments. This is the highest number on record, according to the university's researchers.

During the weekend of April 11 and 12, some 30 volunteer firefighters from Kempton, Lynnport, New Tripoli, Weisenberg, Kutztown and Virginville and Centerport fire companies and 10 members of Lehigh County Special Operations learned new methods and practiced their skills at preventing this type of death from occurring in the Northwestern Lehigh community.

Other members of Lehigh County Special Operations provided technical rescue support.

According to New Tripoli Fire Police Capt. Earlin Kunkel, fire police from Kempton, New Tripoli and Lynnport assisted throughout the weekend.

Director of Penn State's Managing Agricultural Emergencies program Dave Hill and Instructor Shawn Lubenetski brought Penn State's Farm Confined Space Rescue Simulator trailer to the Kempton Fire Company.

There, at two local farms and Albright's Mill, the volunteer firefighters practiced rescuing a farm worker trapped in a grain bin.

Following classroom instruction in the Kempton Fire Company, the firefighters ventured outside where the simulator and aerial truck from the Weisenberg Township Volunteer Fire Company were ready for their use.

Penn State Managing Agricultural Emergencies Instructor Irwin Hamm showed the firefighters the proper way to cut into a grain bin to rescue an entrapped person, without causing a full grain bin to collapse.

"It's [grain] going to come out of here like an ocean," Hamm said.

Hamm also unfortunately provided a grim statistic.

"There is a 10 percent chance or less of getting someone fully submerged out alive," he explained.

Kempton firefighter Matt Brett showed the volunteers how to place a "victim" in a rescue "sked litter," which would be lowered into the grain bin.

Firefighters later visited Albright's Mill where co-owner Gary Wessner and daughter Stephanie hosted the tour and provided facilities to practice with the grain bin rescue tube.

Hill asked Gary Wessner why workers would enter a grain bin at the mill.

"Ninety-five percent of the time, it would be for cleaning at the end of grain season," Wessner said.

Lehigh County Special Operations member Vince Kidd, of Upper Macungie, showed the firefighters how the "lock out and tag out" kit is used.

These tags are used as indicators that machinery or electrical systems have been shut down to restrict access and maintain safety.

"Lock out and tag out are critical," Hamm explained to firefighters. "It is one of the first things we do when we arrive at a scene."

On April 12, firefighters practiced rescues using a grain bin rescue tube at the Peter and Johanna Johnson Farm, Sechler Road New Tripoli.

The rescue tube is forced down around an entrapped person and then the grain is removed using and auger inside the tube, Hill explained.

They later visited the Peter and LeAnne Zettlemoyer farm, Quaker City Road, Kempton.

The couple's son, Reuben, is a volunteer Kempton firefighter.

At the Zettlemoyer farm, firefighters were lowered with specialized rigging inside the grain bin.

Hill told The Press why the grain bin rescue program and training was done in the Northwestern area.

"This is a first for Pennsylvania. This is a brand new program that goes into such depth," Hill said. "We chose Lehigh County because of the technical rescue team and we chose Kempton because they make good guinea pigs. They have good skills."

Hill added one thing learned from the practice was that the program cannot be done in just 20 hours.

According to Hamm. Penn State's grain bin rescue course, sponsored by the Kempton Fire Company, was paid in full by a grant from Penn State Extension Lehigh County.

Meals for the firefighters were also paid for in part from this same grant along with a grant from Growmark FS, Leesport, Berks County.

Other volunteers from the Kempton Fire Company helped serve the meals to the firefighters over the two-days.