Lone Mountain Coal Inc. sponsored the latest Mine Emergency Response Drill (MERD) on October 10, 2007 at their Clover Fork No. 1 mine in the Harlan district. These exercises are vital training mechanisms for Kentucky's mine rescue teams.
Mine rescue team underground during emergency response drill
Five mine rescue teams participated: the Lone Mountain Mine Rescue Team, the Mountain Laurel Mine Rescue Team, the Barbourville OMSL District team, the Harlan OMSL District team, and the Pikeville District OMSL team.
A refuge chamber, provided by Strata Products Inc. from Richlands, Virginia was used in this exercise. Personnel from OMSL and MSHA assisted with the planning and execution of the MERD exercise. A command center was established, simulated media was put in place, and actors were used as family members. Company, OMSL, and MSHA personnel formed the family liaison group. These simulated exercises enable all participants to determine areas for improvement, thus greatly increasing the likelihood of successfully rescuing our coal miners. The use of the Lone Mountain Processing Inc. mine and their willingness to fund this type of training exercise is greatly appreciated.
The last picture demonstrates the poor visibility in a smoke filled mine. Non-toxic smoke was generated by a smoke machine to simulate this condition.
