Mine rescue

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Mine rescue is the specialized job of rescuing miners and others who have become trapped or injured in underground mines, often coalmines. Its members are recruited from men who are experienced in working underground in mines and with the various sorts of mine machinery that they may come across or have to find a way round during the rescue.

Mine rescue teams are specialized teams of men who are familiar with procedures used to rescue people trapped in mines by hazards. Hazards in mines may include fires, explosions, cave-in, toxic gas, and water entering the mine. Most mine rescue teams are composed of teams of miners who know the mine. Local and state governments also have teams of persons on call ready to respond to mine accidents.

Minning laws of today require trained, properly equipped mine rescue teams to be maintained at all mining operations, both surface (open pit) and underground.

Mine rescue men are trained in first aid, operation of SCBA breathing sets to work in passages filled with mine gases such as firedamp, afterdamp, chokedamp, and sometimes shallow submersion, and use of a wide variety of tools. Mine rescue is a dangerous task and rescue crews are made up of volunteers who risk their lives to save their fellow workers.

British mine rescue men for a long time used the Siebe Gorman Proto, which they wear in many old group photographs. From about 1989 to 2002 onwards they used the SEFA. Now they use a Draeger rebreather. Narrow spaces in mines are often too tight a squeeze for bulky open circuit set cylinders.

In Britain, mine rescue men are sometimes called to investigate holes in the ground that have appeared because of land subsidence into old mineshafts and mine workings.

Mines rescue men have been using breathing sets almost since breathing sets was invented. Mostly only they use the breathing sets, but there was a case (7-9th September 1950, Knockshinnoch Castle Colliery, near New Cumnock, Ayrshire, Scotland; 13 died, info here) where an advancing coalmine passage broke into a surface hollow full of deep liquid peat which flooded part of the mine, and 115 trapped miners had to equipped with Siebe Gorman Salvuses (87 in all, mainly from fire stations) to lead them out through gas-filled workings.