# Presentation: 122349

## MINE EMERGENCY, ESCAPE & SHELTERS

**THE PHOENIX CHAMBER**

## UNDERGROUNDEMERGENCY

**INCIDENT**
**CYCLE**

## EMERGENCIES

***Generally may be divided into three areas.***
-  	***SELF ESCAPE:- ***
- 		Usually involves mineworkers with “Little or no Injury”
- 		exiting the mine with a potential use of SCSR’s
-  	***AIDED ESCAPE:-***
- 		Mineworkers who are injured and may be assisted by fellow
- 		workers exiting the mine or retreating to a “place of safety”.
-  	***MINES RESCUE:-****** ***
- 		This historically involves entry into an effected mine by trained 		personnel wearing appropriate devices to retrieve injured or 		trapped mine workers and restore ventilation.                      			(*Now may also involve retrieval from a place of safety*).

## EMERGENCIES

***FIGHT or FLIGHT RESPONSE***
**Danger****	****	****THE HUMAN REACTION IS TO DEFEND**
**	****	****	****LIFE OR TO ESCAPE DANGER.**
-  	This inherited reaction is involuntary and as such requires		harnessing in an underground emergency. {TRAINING}
-  	Trained personal are taught to SLAM or					**S**top, **L**ook, **A**ssess and **M**anage their environment.
-  	Underground Emergencies demand all the trained skills to		come together in often hazardous environments.

## STEP 1

***STOP*** ... 	_***Not so fast!***_*** ***
***	******	******Take a look around.***
***	******	******Think through the EMERGENCY*****.**
-  	Is this a life threatening event?
-  	Has the gases present been determined?
-  	Do you need the SCSR’s _***NOW***_ or later?
-  	Can I communicate to the surface?
-  	Which is the available best escape route?

## STEP 2

***LOOK*** ... 	***Identify the hazards for each******	******	******	******reaction to the EMERGENCY*****.**
-  **This step begins before any immediate reactive response occurs.**
-  	Determine the essential steps to maintain life and property.
-  	Address the issue of identifying noxious or poisonous gas.
-  	Identify hazards for fitting SCSR’s.
-  	Check _***ALL***_ communication links to the surface.
-  	Identify any escape routes that exist under present conditions.

## STEP 3

***ANALYZE*** ... 	***Determine if you have the ******	******	******	******	******knowledge, training and tools ******	******	******	******required for the job and identify ******	******	******	******key people within your group.***
-  	Experience helps to identify potential hazards.
-  	Assessment should continue throughout the active	response to the incident.
-  	Share identified hazards with others in your group.
-  	Remember two heads are better than one.

## STEP 4

***MANAGE*** ... 	***Remove or control the hazards ******	******	******	******	******and use appropriate equipment.***
**Utilize established control measures**
-  	Eliminate	   (Remove hazard completely)
-  	Substitute	   (Re-ventilate from a fresh air source)
-  	Engineer	   (Enter an established refuge chamber)
-  	Administrative  (Follow written response instructions)
-  	Personal Protective Equipment	(SCSR’s)

## TRAINING

**MINE OFFICIALS** ... Receive training during their  years of study but may never the need to use the knowledge. The fall back then becomes the SLAM Philosophy.
**MINES RESCUE** ..... Personnel receive training and practice in emergency response and utilize this knowledge on a regular basis to instill this skill indelibly.
-  **MINE WORKERS** ... Rarely receive practice in emergency response but will have a knowledge base due annual refresher training obligations.

## RESPONSE

**THE BASIC MINES RESCUE PRINCIPLE is:-**
**To provide timely, rapid intervention to**
** ****emergency events that impact the United**
** ****States Mining Industry**
- This fundamental principle has its roots in history
- where the concept of refuge chambers began.
- This took the form of teaching the concept of barricading
- to mine workers awaiting rescue in small mines
- very dissimilar to the larger mines of today.
- Simply put Mines Rescue relies on the physical strength of the trained man to effect a rescue and recovery of individuals from a hostile environment some of which may need to be carried.

## EGRESS FROMTHE MINE

**From a Refuge Chamber (place of safety)**
**the endangered miner can:-**
-  	Be either provide with or have an agreed safe route of egress	 	from the mine with the available communication system.
-  	Retrieve additional SCSR escape devices or replenish deployed	 	self rescuers nearing the end of their useful life.
-  	Retrieve stored mine plans to permit an ease of identifying		egress routes either primary or secondary which ever is			the safest to traveled at that time.
-  	Be supplied with information from the surface to aid the escape from 	the hostile environment and/or remain in relative safety.

## THE PHOENIX CHAMBER

**MINES**...	with established refuge chambers afford 			greater protection for all people underground.
**MINES**...	can utilize this place of safety as a major 			communication link to the surface and give the			mine worker a safe haven to ‘sit it out’ if this is 			the required course of action.
**MINES** ...	in an emergency response mode now have 			time to plan the rescue and recovery effort that 			is not as time critical as MINES who don’t have 		refuge chambers.

## THE PHOENIX CHAMBER

|              Toilet 
            Facilities
          (Chemical)
            |  |  |  |  | SCSR
Storage
Area | 
 BLANKET STORAGE ARAEA
       UNDER BENCH SEAT |  |  |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|  |  |  |  | 

Internal separation wall |  |  |  | 

Pillow
Store
Under
Bench
 Seat
 |
|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
|   |   Doors open out
& are Interlocked
  “One at a time
       open” |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
|  |  | SCSR
Storage
Area |  |  |  | Spare Air Cylinders & First Aid Backup
    Storage Area Under Bench Seat |  |  |

**AIR**

**AIR**

**AIR**

**AIR**

**AIR**

**AIR**

## THE PHOENIX CHAMBER

-  	The outbye door will open out to resist an over-pressure.
-  	The inby door will open out to give an airlock arrangement.
-  	All corners braced for over-pressure resistance.
-  	The bench seat is to be designed as storage area for additional 	supplies like S.C.S.R.’s, blankets, first aid supplies, EMT kit for 	definitive patient care, oxygen (therapy unit), etc.
-  	Internal wall is filled with foam for insulation and comfort.
-  	Interlocked entry doors to guarantee an airlock arrangement.

## PHOENIX  FIRST  RESPONSE

**PHOENIX  FIRST  RESPONSE**

***	******WESTERN OFFICE***
**  ****	****1114 Sixteen Road****	****Fruita,  CO  81521-2029****	****Phone:- 970 858 0600****	****Fax:-     970 858 0696**

***EASTERN OFFICE***
**  ****25 Allegheny Square**
**  ****Glassport,  PA  15045**
**  ****Phone:- 412 664 7788**
**  ****Fax:-     412 664 7717**