RESPONDERS TO UNDERGROUND MINE FIRES

Ronald S. Conti

Fire Prevention Engineer

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

Pittsburgh Research Laboratory

ABSTRACT

 Fire is a major concern for those who work

in underground mines. A mine fire can occur

at anytime and often results in a partial or total

evacuation of mine personnel and could result

in the loss of lives. Therefore, having a

workforce that is well trained to prevent,

detect, and fight a fire is important. This paper

focuses on responders’ preparedness for fire. 

Responders in this context are considered the

entire workforce and are categorized as first,

second, and sustained responders and

evacuating miners. Quality training enhances

ones awareness of mine fire hazards and

promotes self-confidence in combating fires

and responding to emergencies. Early warning

systems and other escapeway aids such as a

through-the-earth signaling and 

communication system, lasers and strobe lights

are also addressed. The technological

advancements that have been made can

improve the state-of-preparedness for

responders to underground emergencies and

increase the chances of survival for escaping

personnel.

INTRODUCTION

Fires are still too common an occurrence in

the mining industry. Mine Safety and Health

Administration (MSHA) statistics1

 indicate that

137 fires (fires reported to MSHA) occurred in

underground coal and metal/nonmetal mines

from 1991 to 2000 in the United States,

resulting in 2 fatalities and 34 injuries (these

statistics also include the Willow Creek Mine

fire and explosion). A significantly higher

number of unreportable fires are believed to

have occurred. Table 1 depicts the various

categories of 76 underground coal mine fires

and 61 underground metal/nonmetal mine fires

from1991 to 2000. As seen from the table,

friction fires are the most common category of

underground coal mine fires, followed by other

and mobile equipment. In underground

metal/nonmetal mines, mobile equipment fires

are the leading category of fires, following by

cutting and welding and the other.

Table 1. Categories of Mine Fires.

Coal Metal/Nonmetal 

Categories Pct Categories Pct

Electrical 14 Electrical 10

Friction 24 Friction 5

Mobile 

 Equipment

15 Mobile 

Equipment

46

Spontaneous 

 Combustion

12 Spontaneous 

 Combustion

2

Cutting and

Welding

14 Cutting and

Welding

16

Other 21 Other 21

Source: MSHA Accident Reports 1991 - 2000

Fire is a major concern for those that work

1

Mine fire statistics were obtained from files

maintained at MSHA’s Denver Safety and Health

Technology Center, Injury and Employment Information

Branch, Denver, CO.
underground. A fire occurred during coal

production on November 25, 1998, at the

Cyprus Plateau Mining Corporation’s Willow

Creek underground mine near Price, Utah. 

Forty-five miners evacuated. The mine was

sealed and inert gas injected into the fire area. 

The mine reopened and twenty months later, on

July 31, 2000, two miners lost their lives and

eight miners sustained injuries due to a fire and

explosion. A more recent fire occurred on

February 8, 2001, at the Homestake Gold

Mine, Lead, South Dakota. Thirty-seven

miners evacuated. Rescue teams mustered and

discovered the fire in an old timber stope

(inactive area) between the 1,067-m and 1,113-

m levels. Water was used to flood the affected

area. Historically, mine fires have caused

fatalities, injuries, and economic losses totaling

hundreds of millions of dollars. One of the

goals of the National Institute for Occupational

Safety and Health’s (NIOSH) Pittsburgh

Research Laboratory (PRL) is to enhance the

safety of the mine worker by preventing

disasters caused by fires and explosions.

The remote nature of underground mining

requires workers, at all positions within the

organization, to maintain higher skill levels in

emergency response compared with workers in

many other industries. Traditional work

organizations can, in greater part, rely on

professional, full-time, expert community

services and specialists to assist in the response

to fire, rescue, and medical emergencies. For

example, smaller cities and towns have

volunteer fire departments that are highly

capable. The issue of measuring fire

preparedness for the individual mine site is

critical for predicting the response (including

elements of evacuation and fire fighting) in

case of an underground fire. What does it

mean to be prepared to deal with fire in an

underground mine? 

A mine fire can occur at anytime and often

results in a partial or total evacuation of mine

personnel. Therefore, having a workforce that

is well trained to prevent, detect, and fight a

fire is important. It is also paramount for

miners to maintain and know their escape

routes. However, a study (1) of the

underground preparedness of miners at seven

underground coal mines showed that only 8%

of the miners were satisfied with the

firefighting training they were receiving. Some

of these miners called for less complacency

and more involvement by the workers. Out of

214 miners surveyed, 38% reported that they

were notified sometime during their mining

career to evacuate the mine because of a fire

and 70% were involved in at least one

firefighting incident.

 The success of safely controlling and

extinguishing an incipient mine fire depends on

several factors, such as an awareness of the fire

hazards, early detection, availability of

effective firefighting equipment, quick

response time, and trained firefighters. If a

coal mine fire cannot be contained by direct

firefighting methods within a few hours after

discovery, the chances of successfully

extinguishing the fire without sealing part of

the mine or the entire mine are greatly

diminished. Many mine operators and workers

are not aware of how fast mine fires can

spread, have little knowledge of the magnitude

of a detectable fire, nor have much experience

in the proper selection and use of modern

firefighting equipment. Information on the

latest mine fire detection, alarm and

extinguishing technologies, and firefighting

strategies may be difficult to obtain. Such

equipment and techniques could significantly

improve the success rate of safe firefighting

operations and reduce the risk and occurrence

of severe mine fires.

Fire research conducted by the former U.S.

Bureau of Mines, as well as actual mine fires,

have shown that fires can spread very rapidly. 

For example, large-scale fire gallery

experiments (2) have shown that conveyor belt

fires can propagate at rates of more than

0.10 m/s (20 fpm). Yet, many in the mining

industry still believe that fire-resistant belting
will not burn. Modern fire detection and

firefighting equipment, though available, is not

often found in underground mines. Longer

detection times result when fire sensors with

slow response times are employed (3,4,5). 

Often, mine fires grow out of control due to

poor planning, inoperative detection systems,

inadequate water supplies, inappropriate

firefighting equipment, broken waterlines,

failed suppression systems, and improper

personal protective equipment. 

Mitchell (6) states, “The best facilities and

equipment can never compensate for poor

preparation.” A large part of mine fire

preparedness is worker capability, experience,

motivation, and training, along with a strong

commitment by management. Facilities and

programs for mine personnel to learn about the

hazards of mine fires, evaluate modern fire

detection and firefighting equipment and

technologies, and observe the proper methods

to combat mine fires are lacking. Mine fire

application seminars and briefings, sponsored

by MSHA at the National Mine Health and

Safety Academy (7) and conducted by NIOSH

at PRL’s Lake Lynn Laboratory2

 are positive

steps. Conti (8) suggested that increasing the

mining industry’s awareness of the dangers of

underground mine fires and conducting

periodic fire audits with a well-organized

checklist (9) could reduce the probability of

having a major fire and improve the current

state of fire preparedness. 

This paper deals with responders to

underground mine fires. Responders in this

context are considered the entire workforce,

and are categorized as follows: first responders

are the first to encounter a fire and initiate

firefighting; second responders, or fire

brigades, have advanced firefighting skills and

personal protective equipment, and take over

firefighting activities when the fire becomes

too dangerous to fight by first responders; 

sustained responders, or mine rescue teams, are

trained to rescue trapped and injured personnel,

fight fires or recover a mine; and evacuating

miners responding to an environment that is no

longer safe to work in. Technologies to assist

evacuating miners during a fire are also

discussed.

EMERGENCY RESPONSE

PREPAREDNESS

Emergency Plan

Confusion and disorder after the initial

discovery of an emergency is normal. The first

few minutes after discovery are crucial and the

key is to minimize the chaos. Since most

emergencies are unique, a program detailing

every situation is not possible. However, there

are certain elements common to all and the

preparation of a written emergency plan can

reduce the turmoil associated with the

emergency. Some of the most important

elements of an emergency plan include the

following: communication protocol and

notification of key officials immediately after

discovery of an emergency and updating them

at certain intervals afterwards; the

responsibilities of certain personnel during the

emergency and the selection of a competent

person to be in overall control; the

development of an advisory and control group;

procedures for evacuation and survival; rescue

and recovery procedures. The plan must

include the surface organization, facilities, and 

outside sources of assistance for support

purposes. Control of outside elements with an

interest in the emergency, but not involved

with the operation such as news media,

relatives and the general public. The entire

plan should be reviewed and understood by all

the key players. Changes or modifications to

2

The NIOSH, PRL conducts open industry

briefings on mine fire preparedness to enhance the

mining industry’s awareness of the dangers of

underground mine fires and convey research findings on

the latest methods for detection, control, response, and

extinguishment of mine fires.
the plan must be made immediately and

everyone must be kept abreast. Drills to test

the effectiveness of responders must be

performed at six month intervals.

Responders

First Responders

First responders are the first persons to

initiate fire fighting. If a miner who has

limited training in extinguishing fires discovers

a small fire, the fire may continue to grow

before trained personnel arrive on the scene. 

It is important that miners be properly trained

in the use of fire extinguishers, water hoses,

and firefighting procedures. They should also

know how to immediately and effectively

communicate information about the emergency

to other miners and key personnel so that they

are aware and have a complete understanding

of the situation. The best way to convey this

communication protocol is through practice

fire drills and safety meetings. 

When a miner smells or sees smoke

underground, they would normally investigate

the source. If a fire was found, the miner

would attempt to extinguish it using rock dust,

fire extinguishers, or water. After discussing

this with miners who have firefighting

experience and good training, the protocol

seems to be: 1) if they are by themselves they

would attempt to extinguish the fire and then

call the surface to report the incident; 2) if two

or more miners are together, one would find a

phone to report the fire and the other would

attempt to extinguish the fire. Many of the

miners who have no hands-on training or

firefighting experience are not sure what size

fire they would be able to extinguish and, most

likely, would find a phone to report the fire and

wait for qualified firefighters. Great delays in

firefighting efforts would be caused, in the

scenario where the miner would wait for help. 

We all need to remember that time is a critical

factor in any fire situation. Two or three

seconds saved can mean the difference between

a fire’s extinguishment or a disaster. The same

results can occur by not being prepared for the

unexpected event and poor planning.

Second Responders

Fire brigades, or firefighters, are the second

responders. Fire brigades, although not

common in underground mines, are composed

of specially trained and equipped miners that

work at the mine site and can rapidly respond

to a fire. Usually, a fire brigade consists of

eight members, with two teams per mine and

several members on each shift. Fire brigades

have specialized personal protective

equipment, like turnout gear, SCBA’s, etc. 

Their firefighting equipment usually includes

effective waterhose nozzles with pistol grips,

which allow team members to fight fires for

extended periods of time with less fatigue and

more accurate control of water patterns and

flows. Fire brigades should also be

experienced with the use of high-expansion

foam generators. By “experienced,” I mean that

they literally test the foam and foam generator

in their mine during training drills and

propagate foam in the passageways. This also

entails erecting a suitable stopping to be

interfaced with the foam generator and/or other

stoppings to contain the foam plug. They

should ensure compatibility of the foam and

mine water supply, proper fittings, and

adequate amounts of foam concentrate for a

24-hr period. Brigade members usually handle

fire extinguisher and waterhose inspections,

and ensure water manifold (fire hydrants, fire

taps, etc.) are operational, free of obstructions

and adequately identified. The members are

ideal for conducting onsite fire training of the

general workforce and conducting fire audits.

Sustained Responders

Mine operators most often rely on sustained

responders, or mine rescue teams, to save lives

during an underground emergency such as a

fire, explosion, roof fall, or water inundation. 

This special breed of miners often place their

lives in danger to save others. Team members
Figure 1. Rescue team member fighting a

conveyor belt fire.

should be well-trained, physically fit and fully

understand the hazards that may await them

during rescue and recovery operations. 

Historically, underground mine rescue

teams have only received training in the course

of actual emergencies, or in simulated mine

environments, usually on the surface, with

placards to identify objects and hazards. 

Although these surface training exercises

enhance their skill levels, it is extremely

important that team members are provided with

adequate exploration equipment and that

training simulations3,4 are conducted in a

realistic manner (10,11,12).

Evacuating Miners

Fire affects a significant proportion of

underground miners at some time during their

mining career. A study (1) of the underground

preparedness of miners at seven coal mines

showed that of the 180 miners who were asked

if they had ever been notified to evacuate a

mine because of fire, 38 percent responded in

the affirmative. On the average, 21 percent of

the same miners at some time in their mining

career said that they had donned an SCSR or

FSR in an emergency.

Considering the potential for fire

underground, it is important that miners know

their escape routes and mine evacuation plans. 

Fire drills are important exercises, however,

from the same study, fire drills in at least some

operations mainly consisted of sitting around

and talking about what to do if a fire were to

occur at the mine, as opposed to a more

rigorous hands-on approach.

Training

Over the past several years, NIOSH’s

Pittsburgh Research Laboratory (PRL) has

conducted mine rescue training simulations at

its Lake Lynn Laboratory (LLL) and operating

mines (13). Figure 1 shows rescue team

members fighting a conveyor belt fire in the

surface fire gallery at LLL. This training

resulted in improved technology and training

for mine rescue teams, fire brigades, first

responders, and miners in general. For

example, existing technologies were identified

to help responders during exploration and

recovery operations. These included various

chemical light shapes, strobe lights, light vests,

and laser pointers to identify team members. 

Most of these devices may be used to mark

underground areas and certain mine materials. 

Strobe lights were used for mapping out

escapeways and lasers were used to negotiate

travel through smoke. Thermal imaging

systems allow rescue personnel to see in

darkness and heated areas. These efforts have

also resulted in improved disaster recovery

training drills and the development of new

technology, such as new team lifelines, and

inflatable devices for fire suppression and

3

Mine rescue team training is conducted at

the NIOSH, PRL Bruceton Safety Research

Coal Mine and Lake Lynn Laboratory

Experimental Mine.

4

The MSHA National Mine Health and

Safety Academy provides training for first

responders and mine rescue teams.
Figure 2. Extinguishment of a liquid fuel

fire with dry chemical.

Figure 3. Extinguishing a 37.2 m2 liquid

fuel fire.

personnel escape. These technological

advancements have improved the state of

readiness for rescue personnel and have

increased the chances of survival for all

personnel escaping from underground

emergencies. Other U.S. mine rescue training

facilities include Edgar Mine Rescue Training

Center, Idaho Springs, Colorado and Central

Mine Rescue Unit, Wallace, Idaho. 

An important element to consider in any fire

safety program is adequate hands-on training

for all miners. This is the key link, and a few

dollars spent now for training may prevent

larger economic losses due to an out-of-control

fire. Miners cannot gain effective experience

by talking about using a fire extinguisher,

watching a video or observing someone else

extinguishing a fire. In general, mines have a

lot of in-house fire fighting expertise (mine

rescue, fire brigades, volunteer firefighters) and

these personnel can be utilized to develop an

adequate and effective training program. 

However, if you’re a small operator with

limited resources, one option for training may

reside with the local fire department. 

The average cost of materials (chemical

powder, gas cartridges, fuel) and wages for fire

extinguisher training could range from $65 to

$100 per person. An inexpensive mortar box

(shown in figure 2) filled with several inches of

water, and a mixture of diesel fuel and

gasoline, is suitable for training in the use of

fire extinguishers (9.1-kg), fire hoses, handheld foam generators and other types of firefighting equipment. At the same time, miners

would have the opportunity to recharge the

extinguishers after extinguishing as many fires

as they could using one fire extinguisher. 

Other members can learn by observing and

rating the performance of the trainee using a

checklist. Hands-on training builds

confidence and skill levels and shows miners

what to expect in the event of a fire. Figure 3

illustrates a more complicated fire where two

miners with larger (68-kg) fire extinguishers

are required to fight the fire. 

Improved training can be an effective

means of bringing about a reduction in the

number of fire incidents. Mine fire training (8)

can be divided into the following three areas:

a) basic training for all miners, b) intermediate

training for mine fire brigades/mine rescue

teams, and c) advanced training for fire

brigade/mine rescue teams. A basic fire

training program for all miners should be

conducted aboveground and may consist of the

following: basic fire chemistry (classes of fires,

fire triangle, smoke, heat); assessment of

containability of fightable fires; types of
Figure 4. Rescue team entering fire

gallery.

portable fire extinguishers, hose lines, water

nozzles and compatibility of fittings;

extinguishing liquid fuel and solid fuel fires

with portable fire extinguishers and then with

water lines; paper-and-pencil simulations on

fighting a small mine fire; mine evacuation

procedures and understanding the operations of

fire sensors (thermal, smoke, CO) and

suppression systems (mobile and fixed).

Intermediate training for mine fire

brigades/mine rescue teams would include

basic fire training, plus the following: use of

handheld and large foam generators; turnout

gear and equipment used for firefighting;

fighting fires in smoke; wearing SCBA’s;

paper-and-pencil simulations on fighting fires

outby the section; and firefighting strategies

(underground fire houses, fire cars or trailers).

Advanced firefighting training would

include all of the above skills acquired in basic

and intermediate levels, plus the following:

combating simulated mine fires in ventilated

entries with portable and wheeled fire

extinguishers, water lines, and foam generators

(the fire would include equipment fires,

conveyor belt fires, etc); erecting seals to

isolate fire areas; and examining the effect of

ventilation on fires and regulating air during a

fire. Figure 4 depicts a mine rescue team

entering a fire gallery with charged water hoses

during an advanced training exercise. Quality

training enhances the awareness of mine fire

hazards and promotes self-confidence in

combating underground and surface mine fires.

All miners need to walk their escapeways

and participate in a preplanned fire drills with

nontoxic smoke. It gives the workforce an

opportunity to learn from the experiences of

others and provides a better understanding of

how miners will react during an emergency. 

NIOSH conducts on-site smoke training

exercises that allow the workforce to

experience first hand, traveling through smoke

(visibility ranging from 1 to 3-m) in their mine

passageways and at the same time evaluate

improved escape technologies. 

Warning Systems

Underground mines rely on alarm systems,

such as stench gas, audible or visual alarms,

pager phones, telephones, and messengers to

warn miners of a fire or other emergency. 

These systems are often slow, unreliable, and

limited in their mine coverage. It is imperative

during an underground emergency that all

persons, no matter their location, are able to be

notified of the emergency. An Australian

mining research initiative resulted in the

commercial availability of a “paging” system

for underground mines (14,15). The Personal

Emergency Device (PED) communication

system is a “through-the-earth” transmission

system that enables communication of specific

messages with individuals underground, no

matter what their location and without

dependence on cables or wiring underground. 

The low-frequency electromagnetic field can

penetrate kilometers of soil and rock to reach

the most remote shaft or tunnel, which makes it

ideal for underground signaling and paging. 

This system consists of a personal computer,

low-frequency transmitter, portable receiving
Figure 5. Conceptual representation of a

mine.

units, and surface and/or underground loop

antennas that can be strategically placed to

create an electromagnetic signal that can

completely envelop most mines without the use

of repeater systems. Messages can be directed

to an individual, to a group, or to all

underground/surface personnel. Escape routes

could be identified, fire brigades and mine

rescue teams could be alerted, and key

personnel contacted. When the message is

received, the cap lamp flashes and the miner

can then read the message from the liquid

crystal (LCD) display on top of the lamp

battery. The message is displayed for one

minute. The first demonstration of the system

in the United States was conducted at the

NIOSH Lake Lynn Laboratory, in November

1990. Figure 5 shows a typical configuration

of the wireless system for a mine, depicting

capabilities of the communication and

signaling system. The transmitter loop antenna

is on the surface, and a receiver/transmitter

loop antenna is underground. The system can

also turn devices such as strobe lights on or off. 

Additional information on wireless signaling

systems and medium frequency radio

communication systems for mine rescue can be

found in references 15 and 16.

A successful evacuation of miners during

the Willow Creek mine fire that occurred in

Helper, Utah, on November 25, 1998, was

attributed to the PED system. The paging

system was activated when miners saw flames

and telephoned the dispatcher to evacuate the

mine. The PED system allowed a mineevacuation plan to be safely carried out before

the mine passageways filled with smoke. All

forty-five underground miners escaped in

approximately 45 minutes. There are currently

17 PED systems installed in U.S. coal mines

and one in a metal/nonmetal mine.

Escapeway Aids

Early detection and rapid response of

miners to evacuate the underground

passageways before they fill with smoke are

key elements to survival. While U.S. Federal

Regulations require all underground miners to

walk escapeways and conduct fire drills every

90 days in a smoke-free environment, this does

not fully prepare them for the conditions that

will be encountered in real escape situations. 

Underground mines mark their escapeways

with reflectors or arrows. Usually two colors

are used. For example, red might be used to

indicate the primary escapeway and green to

represent the secondary escapeway. After a

period of time, the dust entrained in the

airways can collect on the reflectors and

decrease their effectiveness, so they may never

be seen if the passageways are filled with

smoke. A few underground mines use a

continuous lifeline for escape purposes. This

lifeline or rope would most likely be secured to

the rib of the mine starting at the working

section and leading to the exiting portal. Some

mines are securing the lifeline near the roof in

the center of the entry, at an average height of

2-m from the floor, and lower in low seam

operations. Depending on the configuration of

the mine, the lifeline could be many kilometers

in length. 

One manufacturer developed a directional

lifeline. It consists of standard spools
containing 91-m of 0.64-cm polypropylene

rope with directional (cone-shaped) orange

indicators with green reflective tape installed at

every 23-m interval. The tapered end of the

cone should always point inby, so that escaping

miners would never have to take their hand off

the line. Due to the complexity of mine entries

that contain crosscuts, mandoors, overcasts,

etc., it is suggested that two directional

indicators be mounted together on the lifeline

approximately 2 to 3-m from a mandoor, etc. 

This procedure would alert personnel escaping

in smoke-filled entries that an obstacle of some

sort is nearby.

Another useful escapeway aid is the

commercial laser pointer. They are now

compact, lightweight, affordable, and have

high quality beams. They utilize laser diode

technology and several of these handheld

battery powered pointers have ranges of up to

732-m. Beam diameters are less than 1-mm. 

The green laser pointer, with a wavelength of

532 nm and an output power of 1-3 mW, can

operate continuously for 2-3 hours. The green

wavelength appears brightest to the eye, so a

higher power is not required. 

During smoke training exercises, the laser

pointer was effectively used to negotiate travel

through a smoke-filled passageway. 

Approximately 25 participants during several

exercises traveled 300-m in a nontoxic smokefilled entry, using a lifeline to lead them to

fresh air. Visibility ranged from 0.3 to 0.9-m

and there were no tripping hazards in the entry. 

Two to three participants entered the smoky

entry at 40 to 60-sec intervals, until all

participants were headed toward the fresh air

base. Another participant followed this group

with only the laser pointer to direct them to the

other end (no lifeline) and with their cap lamp

turned off. The beam of the laser pointer was

continuously moved up and down and left to

right. When the beam hit the rib, roof, floor, or

other participants, a spot was seen. The

participants with the laser reached the fresh air

base at the same time as the first participant

who entered the smoke. The concept of laser

pointers was successful in experiments at the

LLL and at an operating mine. Additional

research is required to evaluate the feasibility

of using higher power lasers to identify escape

routes in smoke-filled entries or surface

structures. A few companies are exploring the

feasibility of storing laser pointers with their

SCSR cache.

Another area examined was utilizing highintensity strobe lights (xenon-white flash tube)

strategically located in the entries to map out

an escape route for evacuating miners during

an emergency. These weather resistant strobe

lights, with interchangeable reflective lenses,

are compact and lightweight and provide

visibility of 180°. The triangular shaped (9-cm

each side by 4-cm high), lithium AA battery

powered strobe lights could be remotely

activated by a wireless through-the-earth

signaling system such as the one installed at

LLL. Ideally, underground sensors monitor the

gases and smoke in the passageways during a

fire. By interfacing these data with a computer,

the best escape route could be determined and

the appropriate strobe lights remotely turned

on.

During the in-mine rescue team simulations

conducted at LLL, strobe lights were

positioned in the center of the entry about

1.8-m from the floor and in the entry crosscuts

predetermined to be the best escape routes. 

The strobe lights were activated by the

wireless, through the earth signaling system. 

Rescue team members were told that a roof fall

had occurred and severed the main

communication/lifeline. Team members

detached themselves from the main

communication/lifeline and successfully

followed the strobe lights out of the smokefilled entries to the fresh air base. Team

members felt that the strobe lights are easier to

follow with their caplamp off. Two hundred

and seventy-one miners evaluated five strobe

light colors (red, green, blue, amber, and clear)

during the simulations. The most visible color
in the nontoxic white smoke was green and the

least visible color was amber.

A similar simulation was conducted for

underground mine personnel in a Western

mine. Miners, in groups of five, entered

smoke-filled (nontoxic white smoke)

passageways and followed strobe lights to the

fresh air base. Not only did this exercise allow

miners to travel through smoke in their own

mine (many for the very first time), but also it

gave them an opportunity to evaluate the strobe

lights as an escape aid. Miners felt that

placement of strobe lights at decision points

was quite helpful and interfacing these devices

with an audio output would enhance the use of

strobe lights for mapping escapeways. The

miners felt that the colored reflectors currently

mounted in the center of their entries would not

have helped them. The concept of strobe lights

to identify escapeways and marking mine

obstacles was successful in all experiments. In

a larger mine, the uncertainties inherent in a

complex ventilation system would complicate

this process considerably. Additional research

is required to evaluate the feasibility of using

these devices in larger mines and incorporating

audio output with each strobe light unit.

Evacuation Kits

When smoke is encountered underground,

visibility is reduced, anxiety levels increase

and decision making skills can become

clouded. It is extremely important that the

crew stays together and have the necessary

tools to aid them in a successful evacuation. 

Some mines have evacuation or escape kits on

each section. The kit would contain the

following items: rope, lightsticks, chalk,

portable lasers, SCSR’s, first aid kit, brattice

curtain, a mine map, handheld gas sensor and,

depending on the mine communication system,

an extra radio or pager phone. The rope is used

for the crew to attach themselves to and keep

everyone together, especially when traveling

through smoky passageways. Various colored

and intensity chemical lightsticks would be

available to mark passageways, so if the crew

did become disoriented and lost they would

know that they had passed this way before. 

They can also be used as a light source to

negotiate travel through smoke or the high

intensity lightstick can be used when

administering first aid. Chalk maybe used to

mark the ribs, stoppings, etc. (names, direction,

date and time). Some mines are considering

portable lasers to travel through smoke. Crew

members would carry extra SCSR’s. A

handheld gas sensor can alert the crew of

hazardous gases. A pager phone or radio may

be used to effectively communicate to the

surface or rescue team where the crew is

located or underground conditions. Some kits

also contain materials to barricade and should

only be used as a last resort when all escape

routes are blocked. An updated map is

essential to travel out of the section and mine

to safety. 
SUMMARY

Preparedness is an essential element of any

underground mine’s strategic plan in dealing

with an unexpected event, like a fire. Time is

a critical factor, and any delay may mean

serious injury and the loss of the mine. 

Therefore, it is important that the fire be

detected in the incipient stage and that well

trained and equipped miners respond during

that crucial period. An important element to

consider in any fire safety program is adequate

hands-on training for the entire workforce

(first, second and sustained responders). 

Quality training enhances the awareness of

mine fire hazards and promotes self-confidence

in combating underground and surface mine

fires. 

Fire affects a significant proportion of

underground miners at some time during their

mining career. Therefore, all miners need to

walk their escapeway and participate in

preplanned fire drills with nontoxic smoke. It

gives the workforce an opportunity to learn

from the experiences of others and provides a

better understanding of how miners will react

during an emergency. 

It is imperative during an underground

emergency that all personnel, no matter their

location, are able to be notified of the event. 

Through-the-earth transmission systems like

the PED have successfully demonstrated that

early warning and evacuation can save lives. If

mine passageways are filled with smoke,

lifelines and other devices (lasers, strobes, etc.)

can aid miners when negotiating travel out of

the section or mine. Evacuation kits can keep

miners together when escaping. 

During an underground fire, responders in

general, need to understand the complex

environment ( fuel supply, smoke, combustible

gases, etc.), escape methods and procedures,

limits and capabilities, and comprehend when a

fire is no longer directly fightable. A few

dollars spent now for training may prevent

injuries and larger economic losses due to an

out-of-control fire.

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