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designed to manage the new information streams and quickly relay critical infor- mation to others coordinating the mine emergency. "Mine rescue teams will now be able to communicate directly with the surface command center and have explorations mapped in real time," Main said in a con- ference that followed the simulation, joined by IWT Vice President Phil Carrier, who was also on hand to oversee the technological side of the event. "The old method of relaying the results of explo- ration through multiple persons — almost like a 'pony express' system that often led to miscommunication — is over." The term "pony express" may bring with it images of days gone by, but the roots of this effort for complete, cutting- edge mine emergency preparedness are actually much more recent. Among the real emergencies that have prompted this work: the 2006 explosion at the Sago mine in West Virginia, where 12 men died and another was left with serious injuries; the Aracoma mine fire in 2007 that killed two, the Crandall Canyon collapse in August 2007 (nine total fatalities) and even the Upper Big Branch explosion on April 5, 2010, where 29 workers perished. John Urosek, chief of mine emergency operations for MSHA's Pittsburgh Safety and Health Technology Center, said that the April event — the first in what will be a series of MERDs — achieved exactly what everyone involved was aiming for: proof that both the human and techno- logical components would respond as designed and that, should a true emer- gency arrive tomorrow, the system as a whole would be ready. "CONSOL has been working with MSHA closely during the development of this new system," he said of MSHA's deci- sion to host at the Harvey mine. He also noted that, impressively, the CONSOL longwall operation lost no production from its active sections during the entire exercise. MSHA, which purchased the complete communications system from IWT, had been working through the Holmes Mine Rescue Association to keep the industry informed of its progress. Another partner, Draeger, is involved in the development of a new face piece radio system, and Industrial Scientific has been involved in adapting its gas detection equipment with the system. The system was designed to be portable, allowing teams to take it virtu- ally anywhere its needed, for both com- munications and tracking, using a combination of fiber optic and wireless technology. When used with success, as it did at Harvey, it allows for clear commu- nications from the exploring team direct- ly to the command center as well as the visual component to allow officials to see the involved miners as well as under- ground conditions. "We think we're ready to rock and roll with the systems we've built," Main said. Looking Ahead As of April 8, the day of the Harvey exer- cise, the technology was available for use in Pittsburgh, and Main said that MSHA is aiming to have it available in Beckley, West Virginia; Denver, Colorado; Madisonville, Kentucky; and Price, Utah, by the end of the year. Alpha Natural Resources has also reportedly expressed interest in testing the system at two of its coal operations in West Virginia. Urosek also said that it is working to plan an exercise at a metal/nonmetal mine at some point this year as it sched- ules additional coal MERDs. "The long-term goal of MSHA is that this communication equipment will d i s a s t e r t r a i n i n g c o n t i n u e d July 2015 www.coalage.com 39 Officials brief mine rescue team members and surface emergency responders prior to the April 8 exercise at the Harvey mine. MSHA head Joseph Main offers a briefing on the technology of the communications system in the surface com- mand center.