Checking in

Just a post to remind me that I'm supposed to be posting something here regularly. It's 2:30 a.m. and I'm about used up-I've been staying up late tonight because I swing back to night shift tomorrow night. (6:00p.m. to 4:00 a.m.) Not a bad shift really. I'll work four nights this week and two nights next week. Then I'm off wednesday and thursday and go back on days Friday and Saturday. The next week I'll work Monday through thursday days-then I'll be off again 'til the nest wednesday night...5 days off in a row every three weeks-definintely the best part of working this rotation.

A lot's happened since my last rant. I rode out to Beckley WV for a weeks worth of mine rescue training at the National Mine Rescue Academy. My family and I drove to Washington DC for my daughter's participation in the National History Day competition. While we were east we visited my uncle in PA-he took us in to the big apple for a great day. Then we hopped over to the delaware shore for a couple of days of surf and sun. We drove home through WV (cross country through the sticks!), VA and KY-great scenery. THen I flew down to New Iberia LA (with layovers in Memphis and Houston) for a mine rescue competition. My team placed first in the underground practical problem! I also flew to Reno for the National Mine Rescue competition-we didn't fair as well there, but I had a blast. I even got to do some four-wheelin' in my rental car (shhh! don't tell the people from Hertz-they'll make me pay a cleanup fee). I had to cancel my Mesa Verde/Grand Canyon trip plans-my wife had to have emergency gall blasser surgery, and is still not in hiking condition... well, enough rambling (notice that I tried hard not to rant?-I doubt it since no one appears to be paying any attention to my meger little blog) g'night.

Rant about the WV mine disaster

Although I don't say it outright in my profile, some could probably figure out from the info there that I am a miner. More specifically I am a mine foreman at a lead/zinc mine. I am also a member of one of our mine rescue teams. With that in mind, you can imagine how my coworkers and I kept tabs on the WV mine disaster as it unfolded. I had a crew of 13 guys under me last night. Just as we were getting ready for dinner we saw on Fox and CNN that 12 miners had been found alive. You can imagine what this meant to a bunch of guys who were working 1,000 feet underground. Most of us had long given up hope and here we were proven wrong. Unfortunately, before our shift was over we learned that there was only one survivor.

I spend at least one day a month in mine rescue training. This includes testing of our knowledge of mine rescue procedures, testing for hazardous concentrations of mine gases and working "problems"-solving mine rescue scenarios where we encounter simulated hazards and do our best to rescue survivors without endangering team members. During months that my team will participate in a regional or national mine rescue competition we will spend and additional 4-10 days training. One of the things spelled in the MSHA training module is how you should restrict access to the command center, and that NO information should be disseminated outside of official channels. Initial reports that I have read suggest that someone (possibly a mine foreman) overheard a cell phone conversation of one of the rescuers that stated they had found 12 miners and were checking for vital signs and from that information he deduced (right word?) that they had found 12 miners alive and passed that misinformation along to the loved ones waiting at the church.

Now I can't say how that news and reversal felt to those people, but I do know how it made me and a bunch of unrelated miners 600 miles away feel and that can't begin to compare with what they felt both on the upside and on the downside.

What an emotional rollercoaster for those poor people. I started this rant really pissed at the person that had leaked this misinformation, but by this point I find myself wondering if I wouldn't have been guilty of exactly the same thing had I been in their situation.

I guess if there's any good to come of this it would be the way it has cemented in my mind the necessity of keeping a lid on the command center during a crisis so a similar situation doesn't occur on my watch.

Well, I must say that putting my feelings down on blogger has been carthartic.

'til next time,

leadbelly

Happy New Year

and all of those other mushy sentiments. I haven't done much with random nonsense. I have, however been pretty darn active posting car pictures on my other blog. (As if anyone cares)

I gotta admit. I didn't have a very high opinion of blogs. I only got one to have an easy place to post some pictures. But, I have been cruising around through some blogs lately, and I am beginning to see that attraction. It' kinda voyeuristic-like reading soemone's diary-to the point that I come away feeling guilty sometimes!

Here's to '06. May it be even better than '05.

leadbelly

Merry Christmas Eve

Whoa,

On this day, 15 years ago, my youngest rugrat popped out. Now she's old enough to get her learner's permit. Who'da thunk it?

ttfn

Part Deaux

Here's another post. This one is mostly just to help me remember my username/password so I can log in when I have something worhtwhile to post. 'Tis the Season. Merry Christmas y'all.

ttfn

Random Nonsense

Okay, write it on your calender or commemorate it some other way-I have a blog. Don't hold your breath waiting for regular posts!

Consider yourself warned.

leadbelly