Coal Age

NOV 2014

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54 www.coalage.com November 2014 Vital Alert Communication Inc. recently announced that the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) issued fed- eral approval for the Canary Through the Earth (TTE) communication system as intrinsically safe. The Canary system requires no cable, fiber or line of sight between units. Units can be placed verti- cally (above and below ground) or laterally (below ground to below ground) to pro- vide real-time voice, data and text com- munications. The system works as an independent, stand-alone wireless link or in concert with existing primary commu- nications systems to provide a secondary communication path based on wireless TTE technology. Most wireless systems rely on redun- dancy. A major roof fall, fire or explosion could destroy both of these paths. By inte- grating TTE communications, the sec- ondary or tertiary path would now use different technology, significantly increas- ing the chance of post-event survivability and allowing communication with trapped workers. "This is a milestone for our company and a milestone for mine safety," said Michael Homer, CEO, Vital Alert. "It's one thing to say you can communicate through the earth, it's another thing to make it practical and usable for min- ers. We have achieved that. The MSHA approval is the final step in a long jour- ney for our engineering team, and they should be applauded for their effort. We can now move forward with our partners and customers that have the vision of incorporating TTE into their daily use communication system to take mine safety to the next level." Canary is the only MSHA-approved TTE communication system capable of real- time, two-way voice, text and data trans- mission and is easily transported and easily deployed. It can be moved as the mine expands, and also built into rescue cham- bers and emergency shelters. Kidde Unites Fenwal and Chemetron Under 1 Brand Kidde Fire Systems will unify Fenwal Protection Systems and Chemetron Fire Systems into one brand, the newly expanded Kidde Fire Systems. This transi- tion will strengthen customer focus, increase service and training efficiency, emphasize expertise in an array of vertical segments, and accelerate product and technology development, according to the company. Kidde Fire Systems is a part of UTC Building & Industrial Systems. "This unification sharpens our cus- tomer focus and leverages our collective leadership in the industry. Combining the unique strengths of these three UTC Building & Industrial Systems special hazard fire protection brands into one strengthens our ability to provide flexibil- ity and efficiencies to our customers," said Mike Burcham, president and gener- al manager, Kidde Fire Systems. The new Kidde Fire Systems will offer an optimized product platform, drawing on the strongest technologies from each of its previous three brands to serve all commer- cial and industrial suppression segments. In addition, Kidde Fire Systems will benefit from a combined, experienced sales team that will focus on important vertical segments, such as off-road/min- ing vehicles. "This move will allow us to focus our efforts as one team. As a result of expected synergies, we anticipate introducing our newest customer-focused technologies even faster, benefiting everyone involved," said Burcham. The first new Kidde Fire Systems prod- uct platform will be available in early 2015, showcasing enhanced system perfor- mance. As always, Kidde Fire Systems products will be manufactured for safety, performance and ease of use. Jackson Kelly Recognized for Mining Law Practice Jackson Kelly PLLC was named the 2015 U.S. News – Best Lawyers "Law Firm of the Year" for mining law. Jackson Kelly was the first law firm to ever receive this honor by being named "Law Firm of the Year" in U.S. News – Best Lawyers 2011-2012. Only one law firm may be named "Law Firm of the Year" in each of 87 practice areas in the United States, making this award a particularly significant achieve- ment. Law firms receiving the "Law Firm of the Year" designation have an impres- sive overall performance in a particular practice area, representing a significant showing in the 2015 U.S. News – Best Lawyers "Best Law Firms" initiative. Nine Jackson Kelly attorneys were named "Lawyer of the Year" in mining law earlier this year. Jackson Kelly received this award based on a combination of factors includ- ing high performance on client surveys and feedback from attorneys in other firms in the same practice areas. Joy Global Acknowledges SEC Investigation Joy Global received a subpoena seeking information concerning the company's acquisition of International Mining MSHA Approves Canary TTE Communication System The Canary TTE system is capable of real-time, two-way voice, text and data transmission and is easily transported and easily deployed. s u p p l i e r s n e w s

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