Members of Citizens for Schmidt, the committee promoting Kristopher Schmidt as a candidate for Sheriff of Whiteside County, announced his participation with Stateline Farm Rescue, in their demonstration of a grain bin rescue. Stateline Farm Rescue (www.statelinefarmrescue.com), the first agriculture rescue training agency to build a state-of-the art training simulator, brought their model grain bin simulator to the Whiteside County Fair, on Friday, August 17, 2018.
For their demonstrations throughout the afternoon, they needed volunteers to become trapped in the corn and extricated by their professional training staff and Morrison Firemen. At 1:00 p.m., Kris Schmidt became the first non-fireman to learn how it feels to be trapped in a corn bin.
“This is the real thing, but not as deep, dark, or dangerous as a real situation for a trapped farmer! Even though I could barely move, I was in good hands–from immersion in corn up to my armpits, to being able to wriggle free and climb out, after enough corn had been removed.”
“It was a truly eye-opening experience!” Schmidt said. “We live in the middle of Northwest Illinois farm country, and this could happen any time. I have a deep appreciation for what it’s going to take to rescue these people, when seconds count.”
In the past 50 years, there have been over 900 cases of grain bin engulfment, with a fatality rate of 62 percent, according to the United States Department of Labor. Schmidt extended his thanks to Morrison Fire Department and Stateline Farm Rescue for bringing this informative, life-saving, rescue simulation to the fair.
For more information on Schmidt’s campaign and activities, please visit www.SchmidtforSheriff.org and Kris Schmidt for Sheriff on Facebook. Whiteside County’s General Election is set for Tuesday, November 6, 2018.