Page 45 objective a signifcant achieve ment marking yet another step toward achieving zero harm Should a mining emergency occur highly trained mine rescue teams are to rapidly respond protect worker safety and rescue workers caught up in a fre rockburst spill or other incident Through the Ontario Mine Rescue system individual mine rescue teams are supported in meeting any mine emergency that may arise Mine rescue teams are trained in safe and efective mine rescue procedures They are also trained in the use of the latest mine rescue equipment and safety T oday annually there are about 1525 mine emergencies conduct ed in the province for fre nonfre entrapment or hazardous spills said T ed Hanley V ice President of Ontario Mine Rescue By comparisonHanley explained in 1980 there were 100 mine res cue operation s in the province In 1989 there were 40 and by 1999 there were 23 T oday according to Hanley there are about 1525 mine emergencies conducted in the province for fre nonfre en trapment through rock and mud slides and hazardous spills The potential for an emergency event is still there even though they become infrequent Hanley said Less frequency means that training still has to be carried on There are 8 District Mine Rescue Stations in Ontario that support the work of the frontline mine res cue substations located at each operating mine in Ontario There are 34 mining substations but the number fuctuates based on mine closing or opening About 900 volunteers participate in the mine rescue program Every underground mine site has a mine rescue substation with trained volunteers and a cache of equipment ready to be deployed immediately without waiting for the District Mine Ofcer mine res cue ofcer or vehicle to arrive About 4 of the 22000 mining employees in Ontario or 900 vol unteer mine rescue participate in mine rescue They spend 98 of their time on mine production and 2 to Mine Rescue The mine res cue stations are on call 247 In addition to carrying out train ing programs for mine rescue Ontario Mine Rescue owns mine rescue equipment that is placed in mine rescue stations and sub stations 1800 units of emergency response equipment are on hand at the mine site substation and the eight District Mine Rescue Sta tions Advancements are being made in mine rescue training For ex ample NORCA T has developed a Mine Rescue Simulation game using virtual reality It s not a re placement but a supplement to the hands on training provided by Ontario Mine Rescue In addition Laurentian University provides training through the Laurentian University Mine Rescue Club T oday Ontario Mine Rescue pro vides introdu ctory Mine Rescue Program for volunteers and pro vides the principles of mine res cue as well as lessons on stan dard mine rescue and equipment T raining also includes simulated emergencies conducted in un derground environment Each year district mine rescue competi tions help to reinforce the lessons learned and ensure teams are fol lowing the approved standards of rescue V olunteers must take 6 refresher training courses each year to con tinue on as a mine rescue Members are all taught how to use the rescue equipment and breath ing apparatus Those interested can take a techician certifcation course There are courses or brief ing ofcer certifcation and mine emergency management Some 900 volunteers participate in mine rescue program Computer simulation tool for mine rescue training Page 43