Mine rescue
Encyclopedia
Mine rescue is the very specialized job of rescuing miners and others who have become trapped or injured underground in mine
s because of mining accident
s and disaster
s such as explosion
s caused by firedamp
, roof falls or floods.
and underground mining operations. These personnel make up what is known as a "Mine rescue team". Mine rescue teams must know the procedures used to rescue miners trapped by various hazards, including fire
s, explosions, cave-ins, toxic gas
, smoke inhalation
, and water entering the mine. As mine rescue is particularly dangerous work, rescue crews are usually made up of volunteers who risk their own lives to save their fellow workers. Most mine rescue teams are composed of miners who know the particular mine, and are familiar with the various sorts of mine machinery they may encounter during the rescue, the layout of workings and geological conditions and working practices. Local and state governments may also have teams on call ready to respond to mine accidents.
Mine rescue teams are trained in first aid
and the use of a wide variety of tools, and, in the case of underground rescues, the operation of SCBA breathing set
s (to work in passages filled with mine gases such as firedamp
, afterdamp
, chokedamp, and sometimes shallow submersion).
Mine rescue men have been using breathing sets almost since they were invented. Generally only the rescuers use breathing sets, but in one case where an advancing coalmine passage broke into a surface hollow full of deep liquid peat
, flooding part of the mine (7–9 September 1950, Knockshinnoch Castle Colliery
, near New Cumnock
, Ayrshire
, Scotland
; 13 died, http://members.tripod.com/bob_newcumnock/knockaccident/welcomex.htm), 115 trapped miners were equipped with Siebe Gorman Salvus
es (87 sets in all, mainly from fire station
s) so they could be led out through gas-filled workings.
British mine rescue men for a long time used the Siebe Gorman Proto
, which is often seen in old group photographs. From about 1989 to 2002 onwards they used the SEFA
. In recent years, popular models have been those manufactured by Draeger rebreather
and Biomarine. Narrow spaces in mines are often too tight a squeeze for bulky open circuit set cylinders.
In Britain, mine rescue teams are sometimes called to investigate holes in the ground that have appeared because of land surface subsidence
into old mineshaft
s and mine workings.
In 2010 the world's first all female mine rescue team was formed at the Colorado School of Mines.
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
s because of mining accident
Mining accident
A mining accident is an accident that occurs during the process of mining minerals.Thousands of miners die from mining accidents each year, especially in the processes of coal mining and hard rock mining...
s and disaster
Disaster
A disaster is a natural or man-made hazard that has come to fruition, resulting in an event of substantial extent causing significant physical damage or destruction, loss of life, or drastic change to the environment...
s such as explosion
Explosion
An explosion is a rapid increase in volume and release of energy in an extreme manner, usually with the generation of high temperatures and the release of gases. An explosion creates a shock wave. If the shock wave is a supersonic detonation, then the source of the blast is called a "high explosive"...
s caused by firedamp
Firedamp
Firedamp is a flammable gas found in coal mines. It is the name given to a number of flammable gases, especially methane. It is particularly commonly found in areas where the coal is bituminous...
, roof falls or floods.
Expert volunteers
Mining laws in developed countries require trained, properly-equipped mine rescue personnel to be available at all mining operations at both surfaceOpen-pit mining
Open-pit mining or opencast mining refers to a method of extracting rock or minerals from the earth by their removal from an open pit or borrow....
and underground mining operations. These personnel make up what is known as a "Mine rescue team". Mine rescue teams must know the procedures used to rescue miners trapped by various hazards, including fire
Fire
Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material in the chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction products. Slower oxidative processes like rusting or digestion are not included by this definition....
s, explosions, cave-ins, toxic gas
Gas
Gas is one of the three classical states of matter . Near absolute zero, a substance exists as a solid. As heat is added to this substance it melts into a liquid at its melting point , boils into a gas at its boiling point, and if heated high enough would enter a plasma state in which the electrons...
, smoke inhalation
Smoke inhalation
Smoke inhalation is the primary cause of death in victims of indoor fires.Smoke inhalation injury refers to injury due to inhalation or exposure to hot gaseous products of combustion. This can cause serious respiratory complications....
, and water entering the mine. As mine rescue is particularly dangerous work, rescue crews are usually made up of volunteers who risk their own lives to save their fellow workers. Most mine rescue teams are composed of miners who know the particular mine, and are familiar with the various sorts of mine machinery they may encounter during the rescue, the layout of workings and geological conditions and working practices. Local and state governments may also have teams on call ready to respond to mine accidents.
Mine rescue teams are trained in first aid
First aid
First aid is the provision of initial care for an illness or injury. It is usually performed by non-expert, but trained personnel to a sick or injured person until definitive medical treatment can be accessed. Certain self-limiting illnesses or minor injuries may not require further medical care...
and the use of a wide variety of tools, and, in the case of underground rescues, the operation of SCBA breathing set
Breathing set
*Scuba set, used underwater*Rebreather, reprocesses exhaled air*Surface supplied diving, fed from the surface*Self-contained breathing apparatus, used out of water, worn by rescue workers, firefighters, and others*Spacesuit, used in space...
s (to work in passages filled with mine gases such as firedamp
Firedamp
Firedamp is a flammable gas found in coal mines. It is the name given to a number of flammable gases, especially methane. It is particularly commonly found in areas where the coal is bituminous...
, afterdamp
Afterdamp
Afterdamp is the toxic mixture of gases left in a mine following an explosion caused by firedamp, which itself can initiate a much larger explosion of coal dust. It consists of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and nitrogen. Hydrogen sulfide, another highly toxic gas, may also be present...
, chokedamp, and sometimes shallow submersion).
Mine rescue men have been using breathing sets almost since they were invented. Generally only the rescuers use breathing sets, but in one case where an advancing coalmine passage broke into a surface hollow full of deep liquid peat
Peat
Peat is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation matter or histosol. Peat forms in wetland bogs, moors, muskegs, pocosins, mires, and peat swamp forests. Peat is harvested as an important source of fuel in certain parts of the world...
, flooding part of the mine (7–9 September 1950, Knockshinnoch Castle Colliery
Knockshinnoch Disaster September 1950
In September 1950 one of the worst mining accidents in the history of British coal mining occurred in the Ayrshire village of New Cumnock.For several tense days the world's media descended on the small Ayrshire mining village as rescuers strove to reach the men trapped deep underground.British...
, near New Cumnock
New Cumnock
New Cumnock is a place in East Ayrshire, Scotland. It expanded during the coal mining era but, like so many others, suffered after the deep shaft pits closed in the 1980's...
, Ayrshire
Ayrshire
Ayrshire is a registration county, and former administrative county in south-west Scotland, United Kingdom, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. Its principal towns include Ayr, Kilmarnock and Irvine. The town of Troon on the coast has hosted the British Open Golf Championship twice in the...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
; 13 died, http://members.tripod.com/bob_newcumnock/knockaccident/welcomex.htm), 115 trapped miners were equipped with Siebe Gorman Salvus
Siebe Gorman Salvus
The Siebe Gorman Salvus is a light oxygen rebreather for industrial use or in shallow diving. Its duration on a filling is 30 to 40 minutes. It was very common in Britain during World War II and for a long time afterwards...
es (87 sets in all, mainly from fire station
Fire station
A fire station is a structure or other area set aside for storage of firefighting apparatus , personal protective equipment, fire hose, fire extinguishers, and other fire extinguishing equipment...
s) so they could be led out through gas-filled workings.
British mine rescue men for a long time used the Siebe Gorman Proto
Siebe Gorman Proto
The Proto is a type of rebreather that was made by Siebe Gorman. It was an industrial breathing set and not suitable for diving. It was made from 1914 or earlier to the 1960s or later. .Its breathing bag was worn on the chest...
, which is often seen in old group photographs. From about 1989 to 2002 onwards they used the SEFA
SEFA
The SEFA is a make of backpack industrial breathing set formerly made by Sabre Safety. It is an oxygen rebreather. "SEFA" is an acronym for "Selected Elevated Flow Apparatus".-Description:...
. In recent years, popular models have been those manufactured by Draeger rebreather
Rebreather
A rebreather is a type of breathing set that provides a breathing gas containing oxygen and recycled exhaled gas. This recycling reduces the volume of breathing gas used, making a rebreather lighter and more compact than an open-circuit breathing set for the same duration in environments where...
and Biomarine. Narrow spaces in mines are often too tight a squeeze for bulky open circuit set cylinders.
In Britain, mine rescue teams are sometimes called to investigate holes in the ground that have appeared because of land surface subsidence
Subsidence
Subsidence is the motion of a surface as it shifts downward relative to a datum such as sea-level. The opposite of subsidence is uplift, which results in an increase in elevation...
into old mineshaft
Shaft mining
Shaft mining or shaft sinking refers to the method of excavating a vertical or near-vertical tunnel from the top down, where there is initially no access to the bottom....
s and mine workings.
In 2010 the world's first all female mine rescue team was formed at the Colorado School of Mines.
See also
- 1907 Varischetti mine rescue in Western AustraliaWestern AustraliaWestern Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
- 2006 Beaconsfield mine rescueBeaconsfield mine collapseThe Beaconsfield Mine collapse occurred on 25 April 2006 in Beaconsfield, Tasmania, Australia. Of the 17 people who were in the mine at the time, 14 escaped immediately following the collapse, one was killed and the remaining two were found alive using a remote-controlled device...
in TasmaniaTasmaniaTasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart... - 2010 San José Mine mine rescue in CopiapóCopiapóCopiapó is a city in northern Chile, located about 40 miles east of the coastal town of Caldera. Founded on December 8, 1744, it is the capital of Copiapó Province and Atacama Region....
, ChileChileChile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
External links
- http://www.healeyhero.co.uk about Philip Healey
- http://www.heroes-of-mine.co.uk
- http://www.bbc.co.uk/cumbria/features/2004/01/mine_rescue/index.shtml a BBC article
- http://www.usmra.com/teamaccidents.htm hazards of mines rescue
- http://www.usmra.com United States Mine Rescue Association
- http://www.labour.gov.sk.ca/safety/mine-rescue-manual Saskatchewan Mine Emergency Response Program.
- http://www.masha.on.ca/mine_rescue/ Ontario Mine Rescue
- Welsh Coal Mines website and histories plus disasters and mines rescue
- "School Trains Gas Fighters For Mine Rescues", February 1931, Popular Science 1931 article on the eras advance technology for mine rescue