Standing Up to the Challenges: Quecreek 2002

Hours after the last of nine Quecreek, PA, miners trapped 200 ft. below the surface had been plucked to safety, Pennsylvania Governor Mark Schweiker summed up the feelings of most of us when he announced, “What a beautiful ending! We‘re nine for nine, and we got all of our guys out.“As the news unfolded and we watched and waited as the rescue efforts proceeded, I couldn’t help but recall a similar rescue event more than 50 years ago involving 3-year-old Kathy Fiscus, who fell down an abandoned well near Los Angeles. I was 12 at the time, and to this day it is still the single most memorable events of my childhood.The year was 1949, and while some of the activities were carried live for the local audience on the then-fledgling TV, radio was still the primary mode of communication. For the 36 or so hours during which rescue workers–mostly firemen from nearby towns–waged a desperate campaign to extricate the girl from the pipe, I clung to my radio with the tenacity of one who believed that to leave it for even a second might spell disaster. My spirits rose and fell with each new announcement, as time and again it seemed that she was within reach–but not quite. All night long workers struggled to secure her with a line, and just before dawn rescuers succeeded and began the delicate task of drawing her to the surface. As I, along with half the nation, waited, hardly daring to breathe, the announcement came that little Kathy had suffocated. Thus, a half-century later I held my breath awaiting news of the trapped miners, fearing they too would meet Kathy’s fate, so when word came that all nine men had survived their 77-hour ordeal, the relief I felt was overwhelming.Safety Rules Are Written in BloodWhat allowed these men to survive? Let’s look first at what the trapped miners did to keep themselves alive for those 77 hours. First off, they had the presence of mind and professionalism not to panic. Instead they assessed their situation and took steps immediately to combat hypothermia resulting from immersion in 50ºF water by huddling together to preserve body heat until a pipe ducting air heated to more than 100ºF arrived to relieve them of some of the life-threatening danger, if not the discomfort. But as all who have found themselves in critical situations know, it was their training and discipline that made the difference. After they found a drier spot, they established a watch bill, roped themselves together to make sure no one slipped off into the water, and took turns sleeping. Throughout the ordeal they worked to dispel any sense of despair.Above ground, fellow miners ceaselessly worked the problem with the same tools–skid-steer, excavator, and drill–they use in their everyday jobs to reach the men in time. Meeting each difficulty with ingenuity and confidence, they too were able to focus on successful actions. Miners and construction workers share a similar legacy in the day-in, day-out hazards they face in their jobs, which have given rise to a large volume of written and unwritten safety rules and guidelines. But without periodic reminders through organized and toolbox training sessions, their lessons can be lost. What was clear in what these men had to say about the rescue was that their actions were steeped in a culture of safety. They knew what had to be done without any long discussions, and they flat went out and did it.As Governor Schweiker summed it up, “It‘s a tribute to the ingenuity and the careful planning and action by over 200 professionals.”