LEXINGTON, Ky. — In response to a collapse at a Martin County coal preparation facility, first responder crews from around the commonwealth rallied to help. The accident killed two workers who were buried beneath the debris.
Lexington firefighter Jeremy Miller is a trained rescue tech with the fire department. Miller, Captain Dustin Whited, and others were called to action nearly 100 miles away.
These firefighters joined Pikeville, Prestonsburg, and Ashland fire crews who were already at the site of the Pontiki Plant. A large structure unexpectedly fell, trapping Alvin Nees and Billy Daniels.
State officials say the two men were part of the site’s demolition team which originally closed in 2013.
“The 10 or 12 square story building that had collapsed down pretty much down to probably, I would say, four or five stories down. So to get inside the building is very limited access that we had to crawl through and do our searches from there,” Miller said.
Once the structure collapsed, special equipment like micro-sized cameras became a necessity for their search. Another challenge the fire crew had was communication, something scarce in the area because of a lack of cellular service.
Whited says they had to rely on radios, face-to-face communication, and specialized gear for moments of crisis inside the fallen structure.
“We got a delsar listening device, a seismic listening device that you can set on the ground and it’ll pick up any vibration,” he explained. “And that may be, for instance, if somebody’s trapped in or tapping on something or something, you can hone in on that signal.”
It’s something they use to alert them of an issue when an individual hasn’t responded. It is currently unclear if the demolition crew had similar alert-sounding equipment.
Special Operations Battalion Chief Chris Ward says there were a total of three men at the site when the structure collapsed.
“There were two gentlemen in. There was one outside. I do not know how the gentleman outside was not trapped. I don’t know how he notified 911. I don’t have that information,“ Ward said.
Ward worked closely with Kentucky’s emergency management response teams and engineers. He says that after nearly two years of multiple state emergencies, Kentucky could invest in an urban search and rescue program focused on this type of rescue.
“Kentucky does not have a standard U.S.A.R. component by the state. What you saw us do in the state is all made up of various fire departments and relationships. I know most of all those guys that work in Covington and Louisville,” Ward explained.