Printer Friendly VersionMining Extension to Dedicate Simulated Underground Coal Mine Friday
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Buses will run from College throughout the afternoon
The Department of Mining Extension will dedicate a state-of-the-art simulated underground coal mine on Friday, October 16, at its Academy for Mine Training and Energy Technologies near Core, West Virginia.
The dedication ceremony will take place at 1:30 p.m., with remarks by President Clements, Dean Gene Cilento, Director Jim Dean, Chris Hamilton of the West Virginia Coal Association, and a representative of Governor Joe Manchin.
Tours will be available from 1 to 5 p.m.
Live burn demonstrations will take place twice during the afternoon.
Buses will depart from the College of Engineering and Mineral Resources, at the bus stop next to the Mineral Resources Building, at 1, 2, 3, and 4 p.m., to transport those who would like to attend. Buses will depart from the Academy at 1:30, 2:30, 3:30 and 4:30 to return to the College.
For those who are driving, here are driving directions:
From downtown Morgantown, follow Monongahela Boulevard to the Star City Bridge and across. Do not turn left by Sheets, but follow WV-7/US-19 (straight). Go 1.6 miles past Sheetz, then turn left onto WV-7. Go 3.9 miles. Turn left onto Little Indian Creek Road and go .7 miles. Turn left into Academy for Mine Training and Energy Technologies. Simulated mine is large facility on the top of the hill. (Watch for green highway signs for WVU Mine Training Center.)
This impressive facility is 340 feet long by 110 feet wide, and set up inside much like an actual coal mine, with a state-of-the-art burn facility inside and the capability to provide live fire training.
The facility will be used for training new miners, mine foreman, mine rescue teams, mine fire brigades, and for other specialized training.
Major funding for the facility came from the West Virginia Office of Miners' Health Safety and Training and the West Virginia Division of Energy. Donations of equipment and materials came from Alpha Natural Resources, Consol Energy, HSC Industrial, Joy Continental Product Line, Murray Energy, and Patriot Coal.
With multiple entryways and crosscuts, the simulated mine is divided into passageways, chambers, and rooms that resemble those in an actual mine. Hallways are filled with equipment and structures found in mines. It also includes a state-of-the art burn area for training mine rescue teams and fire brigades.
"The experience of an individual coming there for training will be as close as possible to an actual underground coal mine," said Dean. "The capability to provide live fire training truly sets it apart from other such facilities."
The Department of Mining Extension has provided training for the coal industry since 1913, and currently trains more than 5,000 new and experienced coal miners each year - from new miners seeking apprentice certification to experienced personnel seeking specialized training.
The department provides a wide range of training programs for underground and surface mining - from new-miner training to SCSR (self-contained self-rescuer) training, mine rescue training, first responder training, fire brigade training, EMT certification for coal mining, foreman/fireboss training, electrical training, and others. Experienced instructors provide on-site teaching throughout the major coal-producing region of West Virginia as well as in nearby Pennsylvania and Ohio.
Contact: Susan Case, College of Engineering and Mineral Resources, 304-293-4086, susan.case@mail.wvu.edu
10/14/2009
     
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