Coal Mine Rescue Hall of Fame Member Bio
Ronnie Biggerstaff Ronnie began working with Mine Rescue in 1976 after the explosions at Scotia. He was employed with Blue Diamond Coal Company at the Scotia Mine and helped with the recovery of the mine. He became a member of Blue Diamond’s Scotia competition mine rescue team in 1977 and worked as a Map Man and Team Captain for the next 8 years. In 1985 he became the team trainer and held that position until he was employed by Arch Mineral in 1991. He transferred to Arch Mineral’s 37 Mine and assisted with training the Arch of Kentucky team while working in the Safety Department. In 1998 he started Arch’s Lone Mountain team and continued to train and work with them until 2007. In 2007 he became the mine rescue trainer for Cumberland Resources. He started 2 new mine rescue teams and has continued to remain the trainer of those teams through two company ownership changes. Ronnie has participated in numerous recovery operations, with the most recent one being Upper Big Branch. He has a passion for mine rescue and it is always reflected in the quality of his teams. |