From the Assistant Secretary's Desk — Celebrating Mine Rescue Day
Today, October 30, we recognize the dedication and sacrifice of the volunteers who form the backbone of our national response in the event of a mining emergency. These mine rescuers are a special breed and deserving of our gratitude.
Mine rescue is among the most risky and challenging rescue work undertaken in this country. Many times, these brave volunteers from the mining community travel miles in the dark, navigating underground mine workings filled with debris and poisonous and explosive gases after devastating mine fires, explosions or cave-ins, trying to find missing miners or recovering those who did not survive.
We owe them the best training and support available for such high-risk missions. On this day, Mine Rescue Day, we especially owe them the recognition they deserve for putting their own lives on the line to help their fellow miners.
Last year, we set aside October 30 to recognize and honor the dedication and sacrifice of mine rescuers – past, present and future. The date was chosen for its historic significance: On Oct. 30, 1911, the first national mine rescue demonstration was held at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh, PA. It was organized by Dr. Joseph A. Holmes, a visionary in mine safety and the first director of the U.S. Bureau of Mines. Among the 15,000 spectators was President William Howard Taft.
Also on this date last year, the national Holmes Mine Rescue Association formally came into existence, supported by the universe of mine emergency response stakeholders. The HMRA was created to provide support and guidance for mine rescue for the more than 13,000 mines throughout the country. It also will serve as a vehicle to disseminate guidelines, training and tools to the mining community.
The creation of the HMRA was among the many outcomes of an extensive review of mine emergency response undertaken by MSHA in 2010. The review also resulted in: development of state of the art technology to make mine rescue safer and faster; a new mine rescue response station in Madisonville, KY to serve the Midwest; improvements in the agency’s mobile response vehicles and command center equipment; the staging of mock mine emergencies with mining companies; revisions to the criteria for mine rescue team certification to include hands on skills training; and an overhaul of the national mine rescue training contests with greater stakeholder participation.
In conjunction with MSHA, the National Mining Association sponsored the 2013 National Coal Mine Rescue contest in Columbus, Ohio; and the Central Kentucky Mine Rescue Association sponsored the 2014 National Metal and Nonmetal Mine Rescue Contest in Lexington, Kentucky. Earlier this month, the Mining Technology and Training Center, in Prosperity, Pennsylvania, sponsored and hosted the Nationwide Coal Mine Rescue Skills Championship.
Plans are currently well under way for the 2015 National Coal Mine Rescue Contest.
In addition to the actions we have taken at MSHA, many state agencies and mining companies have upgraded their mine emergency response capabilities, systems and equipment. This has been a collaborative effort from the start with MSHA, mining companies, state agencies and the mine rescue community as a whole that is paying real dividends.