Manure Pit Safety Demonstration at Benton Fire Dept.

Yates County Emergency Services, Soil & Water Conservation, Cornell Cooperative Extension along with NYCAMH are pleased to announce the Manure Pit Safety demonstration unit will be at Benton Fire Station in Benton Center August 17. The demonstration unit is provided by the National Education Center for Agricultural Safety (NECAS), located in Peosta, Iowa. NECAS travels all over the entire country with this unit in order to teach farmers and emergency personnel about manure pit safety and rescue techniques. There will be demonstration with the unit starting at 7 pm. Attendees will learn critical information about the hazards of working around manure pits, the importance of air quality monitoring, and the need to know how to properly use breathing apparatus, harnessing, and rigging. NECAS Agricultural Safety Director Dan Neenan will offer the 2 hour safety education demonstration while Tom Eskildsen, Soil & Water and Nancy Glazier, CCE’s NWNY Team, will discuss the county’s current availability of monitoring and training in particular the concern of the high levels of Hydrogen Sulfide with Gypsum bedding.As an added benefit to local firefighter and emergency responder services, Rodman Lott and Son Farms and Empire Farm Days in Seneca Farms are partnering with NYCAMH and NECAS to offer confined space-manure pit rescue training after-hours at the show grounds on Tuesday and Wednesday, August 11 & 12. First responders interested in the special training may contact NYCAMH Agricultural Safety Specialist Jim Carrabba, 800-343-7527 x2216.“On-farm equipment poses a risk for injury or death not only to farmers but to those who respond to emergencies on the farm. We all are pleased to offer this special education opportunity about manure pit hazards to farmers and emergency service personnel. This training saves lives,” Neenan said.For more information, please contact Office of Emergency Management at 315-536-3000 or e-mail Tom Eskildsen at teskildsen@rochester.twcbc.com.