The Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy (DMME) team will serve as backup emergency responders to company mine rescue teams at every coal mine site in the state.
“We work out of mine rescue stations in Coeburn in Wise County and in Oakwood in Buchanan County,” said Tarah Kesterson with the DMME. “We (DMME) have offices in Lebanon and Big Stone Gap.”
The mine rescue team was organized as a way to help mining operations cut costs, she said.
“It’s a federal requirement that two mine rescue teams cover each coal mine,” she said. “That’s just the way it has been operating.”
Some companies had two teams, some shared teams, she added.
“It just got too costly for the companies to form two teams,” she said. “We started this team to help them out financially.”
It will also increase safety emergency response time.
Kesterson said the team consists of DMME personnel with a variety of experience and skills, including mine inspectors and technical specialists.
“They all volunteered to be a part of it,” she said.
Kesterson said the team is available to help out at any time, not only with mines but with other disasters.
“If there is an emergency, if we can help, we will definitely be there,” she said.
“Worker safety and a productive economy are top priorities for DMME,” said DMME Director John Warren in a statement. “This team serves both. We have a very experienced group of mine inspectors, technical specialists and emergency managers that stepped up to provide this service for the miners of Virginia in a difficult time for the coal industry.”
In addition to all the coal mines in southwest Virginia, DMME will also make the team available for mineral mines should the assistance be needed.
It will respond to mine accidents and hazards and complete rescue and recovery operations in such scenarios as fires, roof collapses and flooding.
“We are already receiving positive feedback from the industry about the agency’s decision to start the mine rescue team,” said DMME Deputy Director Butch Lambert. “Our team will be working directly with company teams and companies have opened and staffed their mine rescue stations for our team to get some of the initial training they need under their belts.”
DMME’s mine rescue team trains throughout the year, visiting every mine and participating in competitions with company and other state teams. The team is required to complete a minimum of 48 hours of training.
The DMME mine rescue team is funded by a grant from the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA). Federal grant dollars also purchased an emergency response vehicle and communication equipment designed by Innovative Wireless Technology that will synchronize with MSHA’s emergency response system.
The vehicle is also capable of providing video signals from the mine site to a protected web address in order to talk to experts back at the office or to view things, such as mine maps, simultaneously.
The team includes: Chris Whitt, Captain; Ken Johnson, Co-Captain; Anthony Sturgill and Danny Mullins, Gas Men; Sidney Crabtree, Map Man; and Rusty Ward, Briefing Officer. All are within DMME’s mine safety group. Willie Cochran and Bentley Smith from DMME’s mineral group will serve as support.
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©2016 the Bluefield Daily Telegraph (Bluefield, W.Va.)
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