Draeger is showcasing a video of its new milestone in mine rescue, the MRV 9000 mine rescue vehicle, at MINExpo 2016. The company has also unveiled a cost-effective, high quality underground emergency chamber, the MRC 5000 mine refuge chamber.

Today’s mines are getting deeper and travel distances are becoming longer for miners, which poses a challenge to mine rescue plans. To help protect miners in increasingly dangerous conditions, Draeger has expanded its portfolio in North America to include emergency shelters and a first-of-its-kind mine rescue vehicle.

“The MRV 9000 mine rescue vehicle is a new milestone in mine rescue,” said Kent Armstrong, Global Business Development Manager, Segment Mining for Draeger. “Our mission at Draeger was to design and develop a mine rescue vehicle for mine rescue teams to utilize into the 21st century. This rugged underground vehicle is a total life support system that reduces time to rescue by safely transporting mine rescue teams closer to the incident. In short, it’s a ‘chamber on wheels’ for both the driver and those rescued.”

The Draeger MRV 9000 was commissioned by Goldcorp, a leading gold producer focused on responsible mining practices with safe, low-cost production throughout the Americas.

The new MRC 5000 mine refuge chamber represents a total life support system. This cost-effective chamber was designed by Draeger inside and out—from the seal-welded steel structure and redundant air supply system, to the soda lime cartridges and gas detection devices.

“Because we design and build most of the individual components, we are able to create a well-integrated, technically advanced life support system,” said Brad Rekuc, National Sales Manager, Mining at Draeger. The MRC can be leased or purchased, and is totally supported by Draeger Service with local maintenance and repair to ensure that the chamber is always operational.”

Because every mine is different, Draeger also offers engineered chambers that are designed and built to customer-specific requirements. As a result, Draeger is the single source for all underground emergency chamber needs—regardless of the situation.