Page 6 In this issue of Mining Life and Exploration News we celebrate Ontario Mine Rescue s 90th anni versary and acknowledge the contribution and commitment of mining companies and their mine safety personnel to delive ring worldclass safety conscious workplaces Ontario Mine Rescue was born in the aftermath of the tragic Hollinger Mine Fire of 1928 when 39 min ers perished in T immins Later that year a Royal Commission into the causes of the Hollinge r fre led to the establishment in 1929 of Ontario Mine Rescue to train and prepare mine rescuers for responding to emergencies The frst mine rescue station was set up in T immins Ontario Shortly after mine rescue stations were established in Sudbury and Kirkland Lake Over the years the Ontario Mine Rescue system evolved both in the number of mine rescue stations and mine rescue techniques T oday there are 8 district mine rescue stations across Ontario and 32 substations located at every operating underground mine Over the years Mine Rescue experience grew from other mining trage dies like the East Malartic Fire 1947 the McIntyre Fire 1965 and the Falconbridge rockburst 1984 provided important lessons that improved training technology and expanded mine rescue to cover events other than fres In 1950 Ontario initiated an annual Mine Rescue Competition as a way of keeping the mine rescue teams well trained and ready to respond to mining emergencies This year marks the 70th anniversary of the Ontario Mine Rescue Competitions The competitions are held annually at the district and provincial levels Every two years an international mine rescue competition is held Mine Rescue Competition s serve as a training and teaching oppo rtunity All the rescue teams from every mine in the province are invited to participate It s a way for the mine rescue teams to put into practice the standards and protocols for carrying out rescues to ensure that high level of standards are shared across the province The mine rescue teams are composed of volunteers Over the past 90 years Ontario Mine Rescue has evolved as lessons learne d from mine rescue opera tions provided valuable insight for future endeavours The 1947 East Malartic Fire marked a major turning point for Ontario Mine Rescue as teams from T im mins Kirkland Lake and Sudbury responded to a call to help fght a mine fre in Malartic QC It was the frst and only time Ontario Mine Rescue teams responded to an outofprovince emergency While working to gether it became evident each district had diferent training and maintenance standards As a result the position of Senior Mine Rescue Ofcer was created to ensure provin cewide standards in mine rescue train ing and equip ment maintenance were established and maintained In 1965 another mine fre in T immins this one at the McIntyre Mine forced the organization to make anoth er change The underground distance rescue teams had to travel to reach the fre was so great that the two hour McCaa breathing apparatus was not sufcient to allow them time to fght the fre In 1966 after investi gating and testing diferent apparatus the BG174 was purchased to allow for a fourhour capability Ontario Mine Rescue took on added responsibility in 1984 after four miners were trapped and killed in a rockburst at Falconbridge No 5 Shaft near Sudbury The Stevenson Commission recommended that the organization s mandate be expanded to conduct train ing in and respond to nonfre emergencies T raining on nonfre rescue equipment began shortly after In January 2001 responsi bility for Ontario Mine Res cue was transferred to the Mines and Aggregates Publisher s Note Glenn Dredhart Honouring 90 Y ears of Ontario Mine Rescue Page 4