Fernie & Elk Valley Culture Guide Fall 2019 Edition | Page 32

INDUSTRIAL HERITAGE
MINE RESCUE COMPETITION
Mine Rescue Team, Elk River Colliery.
Crowsnest Archives, Date unknown.
Everywhere you go in the Elk Valley, there is evidence of the mining that has
shaped communities and sustained society. Coal dust lines trails and the remnants
of the former mine site can still be seen at Coal Creek. In front of City Hall in
Fernie is the Miner’s Walk and in Sparwood, the Balmer North Statue is a new
memorial to the lives of miners lost in the mines of Sparwood and Elkford.
As long as there has been mining,
there has been a need for mine rescue;
demonstrations and competitions form
a vital link between teams to share
skills and develop bonds. The biennial
National Western Region Mine Rescue
Competition returns to Fernie on
September 5-7th, 2019. The event
has been held in Fernie since 1993 and
attracts teams from the northwestern
United States and Canada.
For over a century, mine rescue
has been synonymous with mining.
The British Columbia Mines act
was rewritten in 1909 following
explosions at mines in Morrissey and on
Vancouver Island. New laws mandated
the establishment of central supply
stations for the training of rescue
corps be established and maintained by
the government. The first Elk Valley
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station was established at Hosmer in
1910 and replaced by a new station
in Fernie in 1913. The team from the
early Hosmer station were put to work
almost immediately after formation
when the Bellevue Mine, which did not
have its own rescue team, called for
assistance following an explosion. Fred
Alderson was one of the first miners to
rush into action but later succumbed
to the deadly gases. Alderson’s heroic
and selfless actions set the standard for
mine rescue that borders do not matter
– where help is needed, it will be given.
Rescue apparatus is essential to
effective rescue and the technology
has come a long way since those early
days. The very first breathing apparatus
consisted of a leather hood and hose
that was strapped to the user’s leg
to pull fresher air from ground level.