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Highlights

Pre- and post-tests, administered to 2,141 emergency first responder participants, showed an average improvement in test scores from 67% to 75%, highlighting the efficacy of the training.

Abstract. Purdue University‘s Agricultural Safety and Health Program has provided leadership for nearly 40 years in the documentation of fatalities and injuries associated with agricultural confined spaces, especially those relating to grain storage, handling, and transport. Findings have been used to develop evidence-based resources to assist in the prevention and mitigation of these incidents, including the design of in-service training resources for emergency rescue and medical personnel responding to entrapments or engulfment in agricultural confined spaces. To enhance the efficacy and consistency of these training resources, a list of core competencies was developed with companion test questions by a panel of experts to validate the baseline understanding and knowledge gain of training participants. The test questions were pilot tested as pre- and post-tests and incorporated into a curriculum developed under a U.S. Department of Labor Susan Harwood Training Grant. The twenty-question pre- and post-tests were administered to 2,141 registered emergency first responder participants in training conducted primarily in Indiana. Participation was voluntary, providing 671 usable matched pre- and post-tests. On average, test scores improved from 67% to 75%. A question-by-question review highlighted areas of common knowledge as well as at least one topic in which the potential for confusion was increased by the instructional content. In addition, participants were interviewed within 3 years to assess the impact of the training received. Interviewees indicated a high level of satisfaction with the training, and over 25% indicated that their fire/rescue service adopted at least one of the seven key strategies discussed in the training. One key concern observed in training was the lack of understanding related to certain hazards, such as the nature of free-flowing grain, that may put first responders at risk of becoming secondary victims during rescue and extrication efforts. A need was identified for continued improvement of emergency first responder training through the incorporation of recent research findings on confined space rescue, greater attention to the prevention of secondary injuries, and more consistent instructor preparation in order to increase the probability of successful outcomes from incidents involving grain storage, handling, and transport.