Guest Column: First responders credited for preventing spread of fire near Kayenta Mine

By Jarvis Williams
Special to the Times

Fighting a wildfire was the last thing on the minds of coalminers on Friday, June 26, when they arrived for work at Peabody’s Kayenta Mine.

But after a report of a fire at 1:30 p.m. and an investigation of the smoke-filled area east of the mine, it was decided that Kayenta Mine’s first responders would be called in. For the first responder’s team, it was a chance to demonstrate what they’ve been taught.

“We need first responders to a fire east of the dome,” said Kayenta Mine ERT Chief, Kent Courtney, over the mine radio. The “dome” meaning the J-28 Dome used to collect coal before being sent out on the beltline, located on the east side of the mining lease. Within a few minutes, Kayenta Mine’s first responder team stopped what they were doing and responded to the call.

The mine’s fire engine, brush truck and water truck were the initial equipment used to battle the 1-1/2 acre lightning-caused fire. In addition to the mobile equipment used, the first responders used pointed shovels, McCloud rakes and Puloski axes to assist in creating fire lines to control the fire.

With 20 mile per hour winds fanning the fire, the first responders worked fast to contain the blaze. An escape route was created when a large motor grader arrived on the scene and built a road to the fire making the site more accessible. The entire crew worked for five hours before completely extinguishing the fire.

“We wanted to stop the fire from spreading quickly so we wet the top of the trees to keep the fire from spreading beyond the 1-1/2 acre area. We did have small embers about 200 feet from the fire location that we were able to extinguish before it became something bigger,” said Courtney.

A 20-year veteran of wildland firefighting, Courtney made sure the first responders kept safety in mind as they met before proceeding to the fire location.

“Normally, we would wait until the forestry people get there, but after seeing the fire myself I figured it would be good experience for them so we met before going in and they were assigned in teams of twos,” Courtney said.

There were up to 20 people that worked to contain and extinguish the 1-1/2 acre blaze. The area was kept in observation throughout the evening and night to ensure the fire was snuffed out.

“I want to commend our first responders for their quick response and expertise in extinguishing the fire. It would have spread quickly if they had not responded accordingly. The training they have received really paid off in this situation,” responded Audry Rappleyea, Kayenta Mine manager, regarding the efforts of the miners.

The Kayenta Mine has 43 first responders on the mine site ready to respond to any emergency. The team is made up of various occupations on the mine site such as a dozer operator, haul truck driver, laborer, dragline oiler, etc. Being a first responder means that they have successfully completed 40 hours of emergency medical response classes, rope rescue classes and a fire-fighting class.

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