July 2015 www.coalage.com 41
become a standard piece of mine rescue
equipment for every mine rescue team,"
he said.
Main said one of MSHA's goals, par-
ticularly in the short term, is to equip all
four of the agency's mobile mine emer-
gency units with this state-of-the-art
communications, tracking and monitor-
ing system; that will likely occur later this
year. Additionally, he wants to see
improvements in seismic equipment for
better through-the-earth detection of
trapped miners; improved robotics for
use in lieu of human exploration in
underground mines; and also updated
training and guidance for command and
control during mine emergencies, includ-
ing the implementation of the systems.
"Together, these improvements will
enable faster and safer rescue operations
by reducing the potential for miscommu-
nication and providing real-time infor-
mation to decision-makers," he said.
"Ultimately, it means we will be better
prepared to come to the aid of our
nation's miners if danger strikes."
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Donning SCBAs, rescuers from some of CONSOL's teams communicate before heading to the active section.
Nationwide Mine Rescue Teams
MSHA has an online tool/reference
guide that includes all of the mine res-
cue teams currently active in the U.S.
Broken down by state into two main
categories, coal and metal/nonmetal,
the resource indicates the number of
teams as well as their locations, equip-
ment in use, the number of mines
each crew covers, and how often
members train.
The tool is available at www.msha.
gov/minerescue/MAP/ASP/mineres-
cuehome.asp.