Fire boss
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A fire boss is a person employed at a mine or state certified official, responsible for examining a mine for dangers, particularly explosive, poisonous or suffocating gases. Usually the fire boss is the first person to enter a mine, to verify its safety, before a shift crew enters. It may also loosely refer to a foreman or shift manager.
[edit] Origins
In the early days of mining the fire boss would wear thick clothing, usually soaked in water, and walk through the mine with a lit candle afixed to a long stick. If there were pockets of explosive gases the candle would ignite them, often not sparing the boss on the other end.
[edit] Modern Mine Safety
Less dangerous methods are used today such as pumping air into the mine to dilute the levels of dangerous gases.
