The insurer announced the recipients Tuesday in a release listing all 67 departments, from Unionville, Michigan, to Wright City, Missouri. Illinois had nine recipients and Indiana eight, the most of any states, including the Bowling Green Volunteer Fire Department in Bowling Green, Indiana.
Nationwide works with the National Education Center for Agricultural Safety, which travels to each department with grain entrapment simulators. Training combines classroom instruction with rescue simulations using the tubes.
The program has now supplied equipment and training to 519 fire departments across 35 states, providing nearly $2.5 million in resources, according to the company. Those resources have contributed to at least 19 lives saved since 2014. Nationwide cited more than 150 reported grain entrapments during the past five years.
"Our goal is always prevention, but when a grain entrapment occurs, having trained and equipped first responders can make all the difference," said Brad Liggett, president of agribusiness at Nationwide.
Dozens of partners, including CHS, Growmark, Syngenta and several state corn and soybean boards, sponsored this year's tubes.
