Queensland Mines Rescue Service – An International Deployment Lindsay Creighton

Who Is Queensland Mines Rescue Service (QMRS)  Private Company incorporated.  Owned by the Coal mining Industry of Queensland.  Non for Profit Organisation.  Provides Training of all Underground Mines Rescue Members (Volunteers) in Queensland Coal Mining Industry.  7 operational staff and 7 support staff members with 300 volunteer U/G mines Rescue Team members.

Queensland Mines Rescue Service Operations Dysart Rescue Station and Head Office Blackwater Rescue Station

Pre Deployment Considerations QMRS Industry Responsibilities. –Continue Training Operations within Queensland. –Response capability Maintained in Queensland. QMRS Capabilities. –Ability to respond with inertisation capability. –Rescue team response capability maintained in Queensland. –Maintain Rescue Service Management within Queensland QMRS Liabilities –Setting up Jet operations at a mine not prepared. –Access to normal suppliers not available. –Getting personnel to the affected site. –Maintaining personnel levels. –Different environment. –Public Expectations of QMRS.

QMRS Planning and Response Disaster Occurred on Friday 19 th November. QMRS commence planning in event of request for help. Communication with mining safety commissioner Qld and Emergency Management Australia over next couple of days. Deployment of first team and equipment Thursday 25 th November.

Rain Forrest in front of Pike River Portal. Pristine Rain Forrest. Mountainous area on the West Coast. Inhospitable conditions for mining.

Pike River Mine PIKE RIVER COAL Greymouth Wellington Lyttelton Location Map – Pike River Mine

Paparoa Seam Brunner Seam Pike River Location – New Zealand South Island, East of Greymouth

Pike River Coal Mine – Mine Plan Men working in these areas

Tasks Required to be Done to Mitigate this Disaster

Jet Crew and Equipment Getting to the site Dysart to Mackay Truck Mackay to Hokatika NZ Air Force Hokatika to Pike River Mine Truck

Jet Crew Setting up for Jet Operations. Build docking station. –Shipping Container –Dock cut into side. –Airlock built into container. –Sample tubes built into container. –Isolation butterfly for mine atmosphere isolation. Install Dock station into Mine Portal

Jet Crew Operations After Preparation and Installation. Jet crew Operations as Seen from the air. Jet crew Operations from Ground level.

Jet Fuel Operations Management – NZ Air Force. 24 / 7 operation by the NZ air force. Fuel management manned by NZ Air Force Personnel. Worked with QMRS seamlessly. Delivered in excess of 1.2 Million Litres of Jet A1 fuel to site.

DOC Operations – Assisting with Forrest Installations Installing Gas Analysis tube bundle lines. Install Floxal delivery line to slimline borehole. Clearing forrest to erect drilling platforms and helipads. All work carried out by bushmen – access made by trekking through forrest on foot.

Fire Fighting Operations Teams Arriving at Slimline Travel from Heliport to the fire front at the Vent Shaft.

Fire Fighting activities – No Easy Task Running out Fire Supply Lines Pump from creek to tank Pump from tank to boreholes Through Rugged terrain.

Vent Shaft Fire from air after 3 rd Explosion. Scale of difficulty evident. Vent Shaft Fire from Ground after 3 rd Explosion. Helipad at rear behind flames. Nearly out! Fire being quelled but still a threat.

Gas Monitoring through the Incident Response All Gas monitoring wiped out by blast 1. Had to setup tube bundle system overland. Had to set up monitoring equipment. Weather caused major problems maintaining this system.

Pike River Coal Mine – Mine Plan Tube Bundle Sampling Points Mine Portal 2,500 mts

Gas Analysis tools used at Pike River By Queensland’s SIMTARS.

Floxal Inertisation system – Set up and Operate. Get a floxal unit to assist the jet engine. Run delivery lines overland (up to 6Klms). Connect tubes to mine. Continuous operation. Monitor effectiveness.

Incident Management Team Pike River Management New Zealand Police Force Department of Conservation (New Zealand) Queensland Mines Rescue Service SIMTARS (Queensland) Others ie. NZ Fire Service, Ambulance Service etc.

Incident Management Team - Critical Comments The NZ Police should not manage this incident! (Media and Public comment) The Rescue teams should have gone in when window of opportunity existed! (Just after explosion 1) Lindsay bring my boys home, Promise me!! (from a Chef at my place of lodgings)

Localised Difficulties Terrain and Forests. –Mine built in a Mountain Range. –Access limited by Mining Lease. –Rain Forrest restricting our access to strategic locations. –Mine atmosphere monitoring systems required being run overland.

Local Weather Good Weather (Diagram 1) Good Work schedule maintained. Access to mountain (helicopters) Drill More Boreholes Progress maintained. Previous gains safe. Poor Weather (Diagram 2) Work plan in disarray. Previous work destroyed or substantially damage. No ability to improve current situation

Localised Difficulties – Damage To Infrastructure Vent Fan destroyed by explosion number 3. Helipad destroyed by explosion 3. Access to shaft and boreholes severely restricted.

Helipad Grizzly Shaft Make shift after explosions Helipad Vent Shaft Damaged by Explosion and not safe to use after The 3 rd explosion and subsequent fire.

Localised Difficulties Time of Year –Christmas / New Year holiday period. –People on holidays. –Businesses not open. –Everything except the Jet Crew shut down. Local Knowledge. - Access to support companies and Access to spares. - no immediate access to normal QMRS suppliers

Incident Management Team and Operational Staff Expectation of families and the Public. Relentless comment from Media. Expectation within operational staff members. Severe weather patterns occurring back home in Australia. Concern of failing.

Jet Engine Problems Fuel System Solenoid Fuel Pump Failures. Start up safety circuit fault Butterfly valve Bent Mine isolation valve damaged Loss of water supply. Damage sustained to cooling tubes. Water supply dirty requiring regular filter cleaning.

Jet Operations Statistics  Used >1,200,000 Lts Jet A1 Fuel.  Injected > 42,000,000 Cubic Metres of exhaust Gas into Pike River.  Ran for > 600 hrs from late November 2010 until Early Feb  34 QMRS Staff and Team Members.

What Happens Now – Final Sealing or Re entry / Recovery The Operation must be safe for all personnel! New Zealand Mines Rescue Service operation Must be properly financed! Must not be driven by public emotions! Risk Assessments, plans and tasks already written in preparation!

Meet My Sons – QMRS Team Members.

Safe Operations – Mines Rescue Team Members Team Safety is a management Principle! Operational effectiveness is a forgone conclusion. Success is dependant on degree of difficulty and mine owners deciding to fund any operation. QMRS participation is dependant on being asked for assistance with this operation if it happens and if New Zealand want our help!

Thank you! Questions?