WorldWide Drilling Resource

--- *+ )#)('-()$* !(& )(%#'" +)""+ ,'.*,+ -'"/ 0 . 1 1 1 1 23 WorldWide Drilling Resource ® FEBRUARY 2019 Iowa Company Provides Additional Safety After 2018 Tornado Outbreak Adapted from Information by SIMCO ® Drilling Equipment, Inc. Last year, the state of Iowa experienced 27 tornados in one day, including one which tore through the Vermeer plant in Pella. Thankfully, the company was able to direct everyone to tornado shelters and there was no loss of life. The event offered a reminder to other companies of the importance of preplanning for natural disasters. SIMCO ® Drilling Equipment, Inc., located in Osceola, Iowa, manufactures drilling rigs for the water well, geothermal, geo- technical soil sampling, and roadway pavement coring industries. With over two dozen employees housed in a steel-frame building, along with tons of manufacturing equipment, the company quickly realized something needed to be done to provide protection should a tornado head their way. “We identify whole-heartedly with the Vermeer Team. The Pella tornado disaster opened my eyes to the need to address storm safety here at SIMCO,” said Darren Swolley, general manager for SIMCO. “We want to take every precaution possible to ensure the safety of our employees.” The company decided to install three cellar-style shelters outside the main building. Each unit was built with steel-reinforced concrete walls, roof, and floor and is capable of sheltering up to 18 people during a storm emergency. The units were manu- factured by Midwest Storm Shelters, LLC near Joplin, Missouri, an area which has experienced its own tornado troubles. The SIMCO Team, with help from Osceola’s Andrew Construction Company, had the site prepared so installation was completed the same day. While preparing the site, Steve Jurshak, chief engineer at SIMCO said, “We hope we will never have to use these storm shelters, but feel better knowing we are keeping our employees safe.” WTR