WSAZ Cover Story: New Miner Rescue System

It's a problem that's getting worldwide attention coal miners underground and rescuers having trouble finding their location.

It's a constant struggle that miners right here in our region have seen first hand, but just this week, a mine in Mingo County unveiled a brand new mine rescue system using the latest technology. A mine GPS system is being used to save lives in case of an emergency.

Whitfield Collins knows the dangers of underground mining, which is why he praises the mine tracer system. It's a way to locate miners underground if there's an accident.

When miners go underground they'll take a tracking device just in case there's trouble inside the mine. The new mine rescue system was unveiled this week at the Southern West Virginia Resource Mine in Naugatuck.

Each miner is tracked underground by a wireless system has the ability to communicate with the mine office by pressing an alert button. They can also send and receive text messages.

Chief Magistrate Dee Sidebottom's father worked in the mines. She knows first hand the danger involved.

"Every night we worried if he would come out or not. If we'd had this in place, it'd be amazing, it's continuous tracking," Dee Sidebottom said.

It's a high tech alert system aimed at saving lives in emergency situations.

The mine GPS system has not been approved by the Office of the Miners Health Safety and Training. The devices have been approved but not the installation that should happen in six months.

(Video Source and the Copyright owned by WSAZ)

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Underground
• location
• tracking
• mine
• GPS
• MineTracer
• Helicomm