By Tonia Moxley

August 15, 2017 - Officials from the Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy got to show off a new communications and rescue vehicle at last week's Mine Rescue Contest in Blacksburg, Virginia.

The state purchased a $30,000 “rescue ride,” or R-2 vehicle especially made for disaster conditions in a mine and had it available for inspection at the contest grounds.

Through a grant from the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration, the R-2 was outfitted with a $200,000 wireless communications system, according to VDMME spokeswoman Tarah Kesterson.

The equipment allows rescuers to communicate with each other and with an outside command center from up to six miles underground and "will reduce response time and be available to any mine rescue team that responds to an emergency in the Commonwealth,” a department news release stated.

It can also monitor mine air quality, track the location of rescuers and carry first aid and other equipment, according to the release.

The vehicle and communications system can be deployed for mining emergencies in Virginia and neighboring states by the state’s mining rescue team, which was established last year. Team members are trained and certified to respond to mining emergencies. Private mining companies also assemble rescue teams.

Every mine in the commonwealth is required to have a certified rescue team and a backup team within a one-hour drive of the mine site.

The last major mining disaster in Virginia happened on Dec. 7, 1992, when an explosion at Mine No. 3 of the Southmountain Coal Company in Norton killed eight miners. 

Randy Moore, Virginia Mine Chief, shows off the R2, a new emergency vehicle for use in mining emergencies and rescues.