Firefighters from seven central Wisconsin municipalities got the chance this week to practice rescuing people in a real-life agricultural setting and not just with a simulator.
The Pittsville Fire Department regularly uses a simulator to train firefighters on how to rescue someone caught in a grain bin. On Monday, thanks to the generosity of the Peter Petersen family, they got to practice rescuing people trapped in an actual silo.
Petersen died in a farming accident Sept. 20, 2018. The 60-year-old farmer climbed inside a silo chute, became exposed to noxious gas and fell more than 40 feet. After Petersen's death, his wife, Sal, told Fire Chief Jerry Minor that he should continue to train firefighters at their farm, near Wood County A and State 73. Seven fire departments went to the Petersen farm Monday to practice grain bin rescues in a working grain bin.