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18 July 2025
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Featured FRI Magazine article: The silo mentality by Neville Van Rensburg
This week’s featured Fire and Rescue International magazine article is: The silo mentality written by Neville Van Rensburg, provincial rescue and disaster coordinator, Western Cape Emergency Services, at the time of writing (FRI Vol 3 no 7). We will be sharing more technical/research/tactical articles from Fire and Rescue International magazine on a weekly basis with our readers to assist in technology transfer. This will hopefully create an increased awareness, providing you with hands-on advice and guidance. All our magazines are available free of charge in PDF format on our website and online at ISSUU. We also provide all technical articles as a free download in our article archive on our website.
The silo mentality
By Neville Van Rensburg, provincial rescue and disaster coordinator, Western Cape Emergency Services
A silo, from the Greek σιρός - siros, “pit for holding grain”, is a structure for storing bulk materials. Silos are used in agriculture to store grain or fermented feed known as silage. Silos are more commonly used for bulk storage of grain.
The brain consists mainly of connective paths, which conduct nerve signals between the brain and the rest of the body.
In 2012, I was involved in the rescue of a person, where a silo collapsed and the grain trapped one person underneath massive tons of grain. Two days after the incident, as I passed Malmesbury in the Western Cape, South Africa, on the N7 where the rescue took place, I realised that if things get too much for us, the same thing happens to us and we lose control and become negative or experience depression or stress.
To explain the silo concept: our brain is the silo and the wheat grain, our attitude, perceptions, feelings, thoughts and mind-set, as well as our moods. After wheat has been harvested from a field, it is taken to a silo were it is stored and treated with chemicals to protect against insects.
As long as the wheat grain is in the silo and treated with chemicals, it is of no use to man.
Once it has been taken out and prepared, it can be used for bulgar, wheat germ, wheat bran, wheat berry, commercial cereals, cracked wheat, cereal beverages and coffee substitutes.
Beverages are made from wheat products: beer, ale, root beer, instant chocolate drink mixes, as is whole wheat, enriched- or white bread, bread rolls or bread crumbs, crackers or gluten bread, doughnuts, sweet rolls, muffins, French toast, waffles, pancakes, dumplings, bread stuffing, rusks, prepared mixes for pancakes, waffles, biscuits, breads and rolls, macaroni and other pasta products.
Our brain acts like this silo and our thoughts and stimuli represent the grain in the silo, which can be likened to a cold cement or metal silo where it is closed in a confined space, constantly poisoned with negative feelings or ideas. We then become this grain in the silo, which has, if poisoned by negative impacts/influences, will be of no benefit to us nor other people or communities. We will become reactive instead of proactive people.
In today’s life, we see more and more negative images of role models who disappoint their community.
What is a silo person?
The silo mentality
By Neville Van Rensburg, provincial rescue and disaster coordinator, Western Cape Emergency Services
A silo, from the Greek σιρός - siros, “pit for holding grain”, is a structure for storing bulk materials. Silos are used in agriculture to store grain or fermented feed known as silage. Silos are more commonly used for bulk storage of grain.
The brain consists mainly of connective paths, which conduct nerve signals between the brain and the rest of the body.
In 2012, I was involved in the rescue of a person, where a silo collapsed and the grain trapped one person underneath massive tons of grain. Two days after the incident, as I passed Malmesbury in the Western Cape, South Africa, on the N7 where the rescue took place, I realised that if things get too much for us, the same thing happens to us and we lose control and become negative or experience depression or stress.
To explain the silo concept: our brain is the silo and the wheat grain, our attitude, perceptions, feelings, thoughts and mind-set, as well as our moods. After wheat has been harvested from a field, it is taken to a silo were it is stored and treated with chemicals to protect against insects.
As long as the wheat grain is in the silo and treated with chemicals, it is of no use to man.
Once it has been taken out and prepared, it can be used for bulgar, wheat germ, wheat bran, wheat berry, commercial cereals, cracked wheat, cereal beverages and coffee substitutes.
Beverages are made from wheat products: beer, ale, root beer, instant chocolate drink mixes, as is whole wheat, enriched- or white bread, bread rolls or bread crumbs, crackers or gluten bread, doughnuts, sweet rolls, muffins, French toast, waffles, pancakes, dumplings, bread stuffing, rusks, prepared mixes for pancakes, waffles, biscuits, breads and rolls, macaroni and other pasta products.
Our brain acts like this silo and our thoughts and stimuli represent the grain in the silo, which can be likened to a cold cement or metal silo where it is closed in a confined space, constantly poisoned with negative feelings or ideas. We then become this grain in the silo, which has, if poisoned by negative impacts/influences, will be of no benefit to us nor other people or communities. We will become reactive instead of proactive people.
In today’s life, we see more and more negative images of role models who disappoint their community.
What is a silo person?
This picture illustrates how our thoughts just move around in circles and stay inside the silo creating a negative, reactive environment. The top lid is still on and nothing positive will emanate from this silo. No positive outside influence is able to penetrate.
In this silo state, no person will be proactive. These people believe that the world owes them something. These silo people will only do what is asked of them and will only be followers because they have to and won’t do more. They enjoy playing the blame game for anything that goes wrong. Their minds are poisoned with negativity just like the grain in the silo, the negativity is confined.
They are not accountable for anything, do not want to take responsibility and are not open to any positive criticism. Silo people tend to complain about their work all day and tell everyone that they want to leave. They will gossip and complain about their salaries, forgetting that they get a salary, have a car and a house to sleep in.
It is so sad. They are so reactive that they believe themselves and don’t realise that they have a job and forget that there are so many others that will give anything to get employment; so many who can’t feed their families. We can all make our own decisions. It’s your choice what you want to do. If you don’t like something, you can make a decision to change it. We have choices.
It’s also important that these silo people realise that if they are not happy in their work, they can move on to find another job. The following statement is not applicable to all people but is interesting: Reactive people, experiencing such a negative silo mentality are not able to contribute to developmental and technological growth. New employees and young people that join a company or service want to learn and better themselves, while some older staff stagnate, never advancing their prospects.
When change takes place they want to complain and resist any suggested improvement in their work place. If things are not beneficial to their own interests, they will be reactive. When a position becomes available and they don’t qualify and a younger person is appointed, it is someone else’s fault rather than their own.
All things start with ourselves; our moods and thinking. We can control it; we have power over our own thoughts. There is a saying: The qualities of the five people closest to you or with whom you spend the most time with, is conducive to how you will be in your life. So, if they are negative people, you will become negative. A negative attitude is also high on the list of these silo people. They also develop a tendency to dwell only on their weaknesses instead of their strengths.
The silo Jika
Next we will take a look at the ‘Jika’ of our Silos. ‘Jika’ is a word that’s been used that means turn around.
In this silo state, no person will be proactive. These people believe that the world owes them something. These silo people will only do what is asked of them and will only be followers because they have to and won’t do more. They enjoy playing the blame game for anything that goes wrong. Their minds are poisoned with negativity just like the grain in the silo, the negativity is confined.
They are not accountable for anything, do not want to take responsibility and are not open to any positive criticism. Silo people tend to complain about their work all day and tell everyone that they want to leave. They will gossip and complain about their salaries, forgetting that they get a salary, have a car and a house to sleep in.
It is so sad. They are so reactive that they believe themselves and don’t realise that they have a job and forget that there are so many others that will give anything to get employment; so many who can’t feed their families. We can all make our own decisions. It’s your choice what you want to do. If you don’t like something, you can make a decision to change it. We have choices.
It’s also important that these silo people realise that if they are not happy in their work, they can move on to find another job. The following statement is not applicable to all people but is interesting: Reactive people, experiencing such a negative silo mentality are not able to contribute to developmental and technological growth. New employees and young people that join a company or service want to learn and better themselves, while some older staff stagnate, never advancing their prospects.
When change takes place they want to complain and resist any suggested improvement in their work place. If things are not beneficial to their own interests, they will be reactive. When a position becomes available and they don’t qualify and a younger person is appointed, it is someone else’s fault rather than their own.
All things start with ourselves; our moods and thinking. We can control it; we have power over our own thoughts. There is a saying: The qualities of the five people closest to you or with whom you spend the most time with, is conducive to how you will be in your life. So, if they are negative people, you will become negative. A negative attitude is also high on the list of these silo people. They also develop a tendency to dwell only on their weaknesses instead of their strengths.
The silo Jika
Next we will take a look at the ‘Jika’ of our Silos. ‘Jika’ is a word that’s been used that means turn around.
This picture makes it clear that changes start taking place, as with grain in a silo where they start processing it in preparation for human consumption. We can clearly see that the top lid is still closed but the outside force is starting to create positive thinking and is conducive to positive changes taking place.
With the second part of our silo mentality, we will see that in this way proactive as well as positive lives and attitudes are caused. These will be people who enjoy their lives and are not afraid to take on challenges. They will not see everything as obstacles but rather as challenges that would enhance their lives. They are also prepared to accept and adapt to changes and challenges.
They will also see were they can help to find solutions and help to make it happen. They would be motivated team players. Life is also important to them and they would realise that life is a once-off opportunity on earth and that how they deal with it is important.
They also believe that to gain respect you need to earn it, so one needs to respect others so that they will repect you.
The silo Jika in action
With the second part of our silo mentality, we will see that in this way proactive as well as positive lives and attitudes are caused. These will be people who enjoy their lives and are not afraid to take on challenges. They will not see everything as obstacles but rather as challenges that would enhance their lives. They are also prepared to accept and adapt to changes and challenges.
They will also see were they can help to find solutions and help to make it happen. They would be motivated team players. Life is also important to them and they would realise that life is a once-off opportunity on earth and that how they deal with it is important.
They also believe that to gain respect you need to earn it, so one needs to respect others so that they will repect you.
The silo Jika in action
This picture shows very clearly that the top lid is off; no more negative thoughts moving around in a closed, confined space. We also see in this schematic that everything starts to flow upwards and out of this closed environment. This is the process of Jika (turn around). In this process people will:
So when this happens it is as if we take the grain out of a silo and use it to food that people want to use and buy.
See the difference that can be made from grain that has come out of the confined, cold silo and that would otherwise have been lying there with no positive use.
A leader’s Jika silo
If we look again at our Silo; if we open the lid and let our negative thought get out such as the grain to make food, we will see the following positive changes affecting our lives.
- Trust others
- Be honest
- Not blame others or their current situations
- Will be responsible
- Will be positive at all times
- Will be motivated
- Will explore
- Will be respectful
- Will be professional
So when this happens it is as if we take the grain out of a silo and use it to food that people want to use and buy.
See the difference that can be made from grain that has come out of the confined, cold silo and that would otherwise have been lying there with no positive use.
A leader’s Jika silo
If we look again at our Silo; if we open the lid and let our negative thought get out such as the grain to make food, we will see the following positive changes affecting our lives.
In this silo we can see all the Jika processes taking place. So what will we get out this:
Summary
We can choose our own path for our work and personal life. Don’t let your emotions and thoughts become trapped like grain that is stored in a confined and cold environment. When one is negative, you trap yourself. Look back and ask yourself what you have done with your life until now. If you are a negative person, ask yourself why? What can I do to turn it around? Life on earth is short, so make every day, your day. Remember you can choose how you want to feel and where you want to go. You are the captain of your ship, nobody else is.
When wheat grows, it is nice and green but as it becomes ready for harvest, the colour changes to a light brown. It is the same with us. We are not born negative but are as beautiful and green as the wheat while it’s growing. With time, our experiences and thoughts about these experiences change us into negative and reactive people, trapped in a silo of emotions. Our thoughts become a light brown colour and our harvest, bitter.
Life is more than that. Every morning when we get up, we have a new day of living, so why spoil it to by being negative? Remember that most people who are positive, avoid negative people and that is generally why negative people are so lonely.
- Relationship with friends
- Relationship with management
- Continual learning
- Good communications
- Listening skills
- Positive attitude
- Openness
- Patience
- Dignity
- Respect
- Enjoying life
Summary
We can choose our own path for our work and personal life. Don’t let your emotions and thoughts become trapped like grain that is stored in a confined and cold environment. When one is negative, you trap yourself. Look back and ask yourself what you have done with your life until now. If you are a negative person, ask yourself why? What can I do to turn it around? Life on earth is short, so make every day, your day. Remember you can choose how you want to feel and where you want to go. You are the captain of your ship, nobody else is.
When wheat grows, it is nice and green but as it becomes ready for harvest, the colour changes to a light brown. It is the same with us. We are not born negative but are as beautiful and green as the wheat while it’s growing. With time, our experiences and thoughts about these experiences change us into negative and reactive people, trapped in a silo of emotions. Our thoughts become a light brown colour and our harvest, bitter.
Life is more than that. Every morning when we get up, we have a new day of living, so why spoil it to by being negative? Remember that most people who are positive, avoid negative people and that is generally why negative people are so lonely.
