Dr Jeffery Kravitz of MSHA said the infrastructure for what is now being formally referred to as Mine Emergency Command Center Software is still in the planning stages.
With its development, Kravitz told International Longwall News that key factors are being taken into consideration, the first being to ensure the safety of all involved in an rescue – the miners and the teams entering a portal to aid them.
He defines a mine emergency organisation in two ways, the first being “a collective and orderly arrangement of all authorised personnel, facilities and resources needed to respond to a mine crisis situation. Additionally, he said, it serves as a “well-ordered framework for conducting and controlling all emergency actions”
It is from that basis that a mine emergency command group, or MECG, has been established, which consists of an MSHA representative as well as a state-related individual, a miners’ representative and a member of the affected operating company. That core group, he said, will control the other elements of rescue and emergency situations such as liaison activity, information, logistics, planning safety, finance and operations.
The work on the software this team will incorporate, Kravitz noted, will incorporate those important issues into its planning.
“We do not have the software developed yet, but are hoping to generate a project with NIOSH and possibly one or two coal companies for prototype development,” he said, adding that he feels “we have many of the concepts delineated”
In addition to speaking with SAP Corporation, he said the talks are also underway with Oracle. It is also possible that other companies will become involved in its development. Plans are moving along, he noted, but no dates for release or testing were available.
Kravitz said he is looking forward to seeing the direction the software takes as the technology comes to fruition.
“There is nothing like this out in the industry for commercial use. In fact, I do not know anything that has been developed specifically for coal mines,” he said.
He also noted that the enthusiasm stretches beyond MSHA’s offices.
“Reaction thus far has been encouraging. NIOSH is very interested in the project, and several coal companies that I have talked to are also interested,” Kravitz said.
For more details about the functions and resource needs of the software, and for more information on the formation of the MECG, check out the May 2007 edition of American Longwall Magazine.
