Dave Berry was always destined to be involved in the emergency services. Daniel Alvey talks to the 40-year Canterbury fire service veteran who recently retired. It was about 2am on November 20, 2010. Just over 10 hours earlier, there had been an explosion 2.3km into the Pike River coal mine 45km north-east of Greymouth. Two miners got out at 5.51pm, but 29 others were unaccounted for. They would all perish. Police were controlling the rescue operation and had given an order: No-one was to enter the mine due to the possible risk of another explosion or collapse. Berry, the Christchurch City Fire Station senior station officer had been helicoptered to the West Coast after the 3.44pm explosion to help manage the Fire Service response. When specialised Delsar listening equipment arrived sometime after midnight, Berry, an urban search and rescue technician (USAR) and a fellow firefighter, made the decision to act, despite the police order, and enter the mine to install it.…