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This is in the U.S. only, and equates to an average of 1,040 annu- ally over that time period. In the last decade, that dropped to 45 per year, with about 10% to 15% attributable to fires and explosions at mines per that same data. Many may credit changing regulations for the improvement in this area over the decades, but a much greater understanding of the mining environment, safety and prevention arguably has played just as much of a role. The coal mining community has come a long way in its battle against the blaze, and the topic is one of high interest by the research community. Leading industrial research group, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), including researchers Michael Trevits, Alex Smith and Jurgen Brune, examined the trend in remote fire suppression technology in a past white paper that included inert gas injection, gas-enhanced foam and jet engine exhaust gases into a fire zone. According to its data findings on mine fires in that research, between 1990 and 2001 more than 975 reportable fires occurred in the U.S. mining industry, or about 81 fires per year on average. Those events caused more than 470 injuries, six fatalities and the temporary closing of several mines. More than 95 of those fires occurred in underground coal mines, the group said, with the leading causes of mine fires including flame cutting and welding operations, frictional heating and igni- tions, electrical shorts, mobile equipment malfunctions, and spon- taneous combustion. On the agency's radar at that time, just a handful of months past the Sago mine explosion and Aracoma mine fire, were remotely installed ventilation control devices, or mine fire seals, low-flow inert gas injection, gas-enhanced foam, and high-flow rate injec- tion such as jet engine exhaust gases. Thanks to the work of Trevits and his expert colleagues, citing research done even before them, found significant advances in cement-based remote mine seal construction technology even at that point, as well as the acknowledgment that low-flow inert gas injection technology is best suited for applications where localized mine inertization is desired and is available from bulk tankers and nitrogen plants. Foam created with nitrogen gas is ideal, NIOSH said, because foam can act as a water reservoir, releasing it at a rate that allows absorption into fuel. The GAG 3A system for high-flow, large vol- ume mine inertization needs was still being examined as use was limited in the U.S. Fast forward to today, and the foundations of those discoveries and others before them has left the nation's coal community with high levels of technology available to fight mine fires. While the spectrum is large, a handful that seem to be popular options come from companies such as Kidde, Pillar Innovations and Phoenix First Response. Pillar, for example, tied much of its research into the lessons learned from the time period surrounding the Aracoma fire, when federal investigators said that the belt drive fire suppression sys- tems in use were inadequate. Looking to meet both operator needs and regulatory outlines, the company developed the pre-engi- neered, modular Fire Station system that meets MSHA and NFPA codes. It also has fire suppression alternatives for underground use such as battery charging stations and diesel storage units, genera- tors and mobile vehicle systems. Suppression and control technology from Kidde is varied, includ- ing the DCS suppression system with an ABC dry chemical powder, the LS suppression system that includes the Aquagreen XT aque- ous agent useful over a greater temperature range, and the SA1 detection and control system designed to control detection and suppression functions for the Kidde Sentinel vehicle fire suppres- sion system. The Kidde SA1 Control Unit can provide status infor- mation and user controls in a compact die-cast aluminum enclosure with multiple available power management options. At the heart of its line is the Kidde Sentinel NET package, which offers control, annunciation and releasing technologies that pro- vide a flexible array of configuration options such as multiple pro- tected spaces, cross-zoning and even event logging. In the detection arena, the company has the IR-1 infrared detec- tors, which operate by sensing two separate bands of infrared ener- gy and generating a fire signal when it sees fire from all types of fuels, lubricants, gases and other combustibles, and the Detect-A- Fire heat detector, which services as an alarm device to sense over- heat and trigger alarms or as a release device to sense fire and actuate the suppression system. On the service side in this sector is Phoenix First Response, which is a one-stop-shop of sorts for assistance ranging from gas analysis and mobile emergency serves to sampling and testing for the ever- changing regulations of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The company also has comprehensive emergency manage- ment, consultant and investigation services and can provide seals, stoppings, surface-to-underground plugs, and downhole drilling and cameras. It utilizes IGS Generon for nitrogen generation services, and its fire suppression consulting and products line-up includes ThermoGel, ThermoFoam, ACAF systems and ColdFire. Mine Rescue Teams vs. Fire Brigades: A Disconnect? In late 2013, MSHA issued a notice in the Federal Register to inform the mining community of a sizeable change to its outlines — the scheduled amendment and re-release of certification criteria for mine rescue teams under the Mine Improvement and New Emergency Response Act (MINER Act) of 2006. In it, the agency revised its instruction guides for annual training requirements of coal mine rescue teams including Section 49.18(b)(4), which requires advanced mine rescue training and pro- cedures in Advanced Mine Rescue Training — Coal Mines, or IG7, and added to it Guide IG7a, containing new practical exercises. The materials for classroom training are retained as Instruction Guide IG7, Advanced Mine Rescue Training — Coal Mines and the practice exercises are moved to new Instruction Guide IG7a, Advanced Skills Training — Activities for Coal Mine Rescue Teams. f i r e f i g h t i n g c o n t i n u e d March 2014 www.coalage.com 27 Table 1: 10 Deadliest U.S. Mining Fires and Explosions Location Date Number of deaths Monongha, WV December 6, 1907 361 Mather, PA May 19, 1928 273 Dawson, NM October 22, 1913 263 Cherry, IL November 13, 1909 259 Jacobs Creek, PA December 19, 1907 239 Scofield, UT May 1, 1900 200 Coal Creek, TN May 19, 1902 184 Eccles, WV April 28, 1914 181 Chewick, PA January 25, 1904 179 Castle Gate, UT March 8, 1924 171 Source: NFPA major-incident files; U.S. Bureau of Mines, The World Almanac and Book of Facts 1988 and The Great International Disaster Book by James Cornell. CA_pg26-29_V2_CA_pg46-47 3/11/14 9:22 AM Page 27