MARENGO – Fire and rescue officials from across McHenry County got a good look Friday at a tube that can save the life of someone being swallowed by grain.

Grain bin accidents are sudden and potentially deadly. A person can be fully trapped in grain in 30 seconds and, much like quicksand, it has the power to pull a victim beneath the surface.

Red, 5-foot tall panels can be inserted through the relatively small opening in grain bins and, when three sections are put together, they form a 30-inch diameter tube around a trapped person, isolating the victim and alleviating crushing and suffocating pressure of the grain.