Mine rescue

Mine rescueormines rescueis the specialised job of rescuing miners and others who have become trapped or injured in undergroundminesbecause ofmining accidents,roof falls or floods anddisasterssuch asexplosions.

Training for mine rescuers conducted aboveground

A video describing challenges experienced by mine rescue personnel

Background

Mining laws in developed countries require trained, equipped mine rescue personnel to be available at all mining operations atsurfaceandunderground miningoperations. Mine rescue teams must know the procedures used to rescue miners trapped by various hazards, including fire, explosions, cave-ins,toxicgas,smoke inhalation,and water entering the mine. Most mine rescue teams are composed of miners who know the mine and are familiar with the mining machinery they may encounter during the rescue, the layout of workings andgeologicalconditions and working practices.Local and state governments may have teams on-call ready to respond to mine accidents.

Rescuers and equipment

U.S. mine rescuer,c. 1912

The first mines rescuers were the colliery managers and volunteer colleagues of the victims of the explosions, roof-falls and other accidents underground. They looked for signs of life, rescued the injured, sealed off underground fires so it would be possible to reopen the pit, and recovered bodies while working in dangerous conditions sometimes at great cost to themselves. Apart fromsafety lampsto detect gases, they had no special equipment.Most deaths in coal mines were caused by the poisonous gases caused by explosions, particularlyafterdamporcarbon monoxide.Survivors of explosions were rare and most apparatus taken underground was used to fight fires or recover bodies. Early breathing apparatus derived from under-sea diving was developed and a crude nose and mouthpiece and breathing tubes was tried in France before 1800.Gas masksof various types were tried in the early-19th century: some had chemical filters, others goat skin reservoirs or metal canisters, but none eliminatedcarbon dioxiderendering them of limited use.Theodore Schwann, a German professor working in Belgium, designed breathing apparatus based on the regenerative process in 1854 and it was exhibited in Paris in the 1870s but may never have been used.

Henry Fleussdeveloped Schwann's apparatus into a form ofself-contained breathing apparatusin the 1880s and it was used after an explosion at Seaham Colliery in 1881.The apparatus was further developed bySiebe Gormaninto theProtorebreather.In 1908 the Proto apparatus was chosen in a trial of equipment from several manufacturers to select the most efficient apparatus for use underground atHowe Bridge Mines Rescue Stationand became the standard in rescue stations set up after theCoal Mines Act 1911(1 & 2 Geo. 5.c. 50).An early use of the breathing apparatus was in the aftermath of an explosion at theMaypole CollieryinAbramin August 1908. Six trained rescuers at Howe Bridge trained men at individual collieries in the use of the equipment and at the time of thePretoria Pit Disasterin 1910 several hundred trained men participated in the operation.

Mine rescue teams are trained infirst aid,the use of a variety of tools, and the operation ofself-contained breathing apparatus(SCBA) to work in passages filled with mine gases such asfiredamp,afterdamp,chokedamp,and sometimes shallow submersion.

From 1989 to 2004, theSEFAbackpackSCBA was made. Rescuers used it and its successors theDraegerrebreatherand Biomarine. Narrow spaces in mines are often too constricted for bulky open circuit sets with big compressed-air cylinders.

In 2010, an all-female mine rescue team was formed at theColorado School of Mines.

British mines rescue stations

The Grade 2 listed building housing Houghton Le Spring Mines Rescue Station opened in 1913 and is still part of the British Mines Rescue Service.

Altofts Collierymanager, W.E. Garforth suggested using a "gallery" to test rescue apparatus and train rescuers in 1899 and one was built at his pit inAltoftsWest Yorkshire. It cost £13,000.He also suggested the idea of a network of rescue stations.The first British mines rescue station opened atTankersleyin 1902. It was commissioned by the West Yorkshire Coal Mine Owners Association.Its building is grade II listed.

In the United Kingdom a series of disasters in the 19th century brought aboutRoyal Commissionswhich developed the idea of improving mine safety. The commissions influenced theCoal Mines Act 1911which made the provision of rescue stations compulsory. By 1919 there were 43 stations in the UK but as the coal industry declined from the last quarter of the 20th century many were closed, leaving six as of 2013,at Crossgates inFife,Houghton-le-SpringinTyne and Wear,Kellingleyat Beal inNorth Yorkshire,Rawdon inDerbyshire,Dinas atTonypandyinGlamorganand atMansfield WoodhouseinNottinghamshire.The MRS Training centre at Houghton-le-Spring opened in 1913 is one of the six surviving British rescue stations which are operated by MRS Training and Rescue.It is a Grade IIlisted building.

Mines rescue featured in the 1952 filmThe Brave Don't Crywhich was a testimony to theKnockshinnoch disaster.Mine rescuers have often been recognised in Britain by the award of gallantry medals.

In Britain, mines rescue teams may be called to investigate holes in the ground that have appeared because of land surfacesubsidenceinto oldmineshaftsand mine workings.

Poland

InPoland,there are groups of rescuers in each mine. In addition, there are three specialized emergency stations in theBytom,JaworznoandWodzisław Śląski.They are operational 24/7.

South Africa

In South Africa, mine rescue teams are also known as "Proto teams", a reference to the originalSiebe Gorman Protooxygen rebreather equipment they used.

First World War

DuringWorld War Ithe British armyminedunderneath enemy lines in occupied France, and mine rescue training was required for the soldiers, often skilled coal-miners who undertook the work as part of theTunnelling companies of the Royal Engineers.Much documentation on military mining activities wasclassified informationuntil 1961.

See also

• San José Mine mine rescue
• Drägerman
• Mine rescue chamber
• Boothstown Mines Rescue Station
• Ontario Mine Rescue
• Cave rescue

Sources

• Davies, Alan (2009),Atherton Collieries,Amberley,ISBN978-1-84868-489-8
• Preece, Geoff; Ellis, Peter (1981),Coalmining, a handbook to the History of Coalmining Gallery, Salford Museum of Mining,City of Salford Cultural Services

Further reading

• Celebrating 100 years of the Mines Rescue Service A Collection of Articles and Press Extractsby Brenda Graham, Mines Rescue Service,Houghton le Spring, 2013.
• Houghton Mines Rescue 100 Years and Still Serving the Community 1913–2013by Mines Rescue Service Limited, Houghton le Spring, 2013.
• THE TRAINING OF OFFICERS AND MEN OF THE TUNNELLING COMPANIES OF THE ROYAL ENGINEERS IN MINE-RESCUE WORK ON ACTIVE SERVICE IN FRANCE,by G.F.F. Eagar published in the Transactions of the Institution of Mining Engineers Vol. LVIII- 1919-1920 by Strzelecki, Percy (ed.)

External links

• Wakefield Mines Rescue Station 1952 Pathe News
• Ontario Mine Rescue
• A review of current methods of fitness testing in the Mines Rescue Service and similar organisationsby RG Love and RA GravelingInstitute of Occupational MedicineResearch Report TM/88/08
• MRS Training and Rescue (active in Great Britain 2013)