Aracoma mine officials refuse to comment
Tuesday, January 24, 2006 Posted: 0444 GMT (1244 HKT)
? MELVILLE, West Virginia (CNN) -- Firefighters arrived last week at the Aracoma Alma Mine No. 1 blaze within four minutes of being notified, only to be threatened with arrest and forced to wait more than three hours for a rescue team, their chief said Monday.
"It was just a frustrating situation all the way around, to try and tell 20 men who are competent and well-trained that they are not being allowed to do their job," Logan Fire Chief Scott Beckett told CNN.
"It was just a tough situation," said Beckett, who responded with his unit to the fire in nearby Melville on Thursday ready to fight the blaze.
The bodies of miners Don Israel Bragg, 33, and Ellery "Elvis" Hatfield, 47, were found together Saturday, two days after the blaze swept through the mine. Both were found near where the fire broke out.
Beckett said that even if allowed to go into the mine immediately, he doubted the two miners could have been saved, because they were likely already dead.
The fire broke out about 5:45 p.m., but Beckett said his crews weren't notified until about 8 p.m., and were the first on the scene.
Beckett said when he and his crews arrived, a mine official said federal rules prevented them from entering. He said firefighters were told that they could be arrested if they entered.
"There was even talk of federal prison time if we violated these orders," Beckett said. "That's a pretty stout punishment, and that's what we were looking at, as far as I know."
Aracoma Coal Co., the operator of the mine, refused to comment to CNN. One official hung up the phone without commenting.
Gov. Joe Manchin told CNN that he was not fully aware of what happened. He said fighting a fire in a coal mine requires specialized training, but he also vowed to get to the bottom of why the delay occurred.
"I can't give you any reason or excuse why -- if they were well-trained -- [they] were not allowed to proceed," Manchin told CNN. "I don't know, but we're going to find out."
Officials with the Federal Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) said federal regulations prohibit those without mine-safety training and equipment to enter a mine in such a situation.
Responders to a mine disaster need a 40-hour course with periodic 20-hour refresher courses, and one-to-five years of experience in mining, the officials said.
The mine rescue team arrived about 11:30 p.m.
Beckett said at least six of his men are miners and have had the required training.
"We've got firefighters here who work in the mine," he told CNN in a phone call.
Beckett said he decided to speak out about the situation because firefighters want to help improve the emergency response to mine accidents.
"When it comes to firefighting, we know what we're doing," he said. "We just want something to change. If we can help them, we should be allowed to help them."
He added, "If we're not trained, train us. We'll take the training."
Fourteen miners have died in two mining accidents in West Virginia in the past three weeks -- 12 at the Sago Mine and the two at the Aracoma mine.
State lawmakers passed legislation Monday aimed at saving the lives of miners trapped underground by requiring them to wear wireless devices so they can be found more quickly. (Full story)
The law also requires the state to establish a 24-hour emergency hotline for mine operators to call when an accident happens, and for additional oxygen supply tanks to be placed at various points inside mines.
As for what happened Thursday, Manchin said, "We're going to find out why we can't have a better response."
http://edition.cnn.com/2006/US/01/23/melville.mine/
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