ORANGEBURG, S.C. — "Hopefully that’s a once in a lifetime kind of call" says Josh Hales with the Orangeburg Department of Public Safety and one of the many first responders on site at Cactus Family farms when a worker suddenly became trapped in a silo, as he describes the mission that took place to save the patient's life.
"The only thing you could see was his face, his body was completely covered It’s very dangerous," says Hales. "The corn in there is kind of like quick sand the kind you see in the movies, the more you shift around the more weight you put on it, you sink."
The veteran fire fighter, who has served for over a decade, vividly paints a picture of what it was like inside the silo and the stamina it took to endure the rescue.
"The oxygen levels are lower inside so it’s harder to breathe because you’re snorting up corn dust as your sucking up hazardous materials," says Hale. The conditions are brutal,you have to pace yourself he explains.
"It’s not a quick process it’s a very slow methodical process to get the patient out, " he explained that they rotated in new teams every 20-30 minutes.
But as difficult as it was, he would do it all over again in the name of service.
"It makes you feel proud, proud of the hard work and dedication that everyone puts in and the teamwork that everybody had and I’m proud of how the different agencies work together. It’s all about the love of the job and the passion and just saving lives."
The condition of the man trapped has not yet been released.