January 27, 2026 - As emergency responders, mine rescue officers attend some harrowing scenes: fires, entrapment, fatalities, severe injuries, and high-risk situations. Even though they’re specially trained for these scenarios, the long-term impact can take its toll.
“When we're looking at the roles and responsibilities, it's really important that we understand that these first responders are responding to extremely high-risk situations, and we know that even when a response is successful, that experience can stay with a person,” said Brianna Brohm, a master’s of social work candidate at Laurentian University.
Mine rescuers performing first aid on an injured victim in a mock mine rescue scenario used during Ontario mine rescue district competitions.
Image: Ontario Mine Rescue
“So it's really not just about that physical intensity that we're seeing in their roles. There's also that emotional and psychological impact, too.”
So how do mine rescue workers recover? That’s what Brohm’s research intends to find out.
Brohm, who’s also a customer care representative with Workplace Safety North, the organization that oversees Ontario Mine Rescue, is studying what kind of support mine rescuers find most helpful after an incident.
CROSH, which is affiliated with Laurentian University, hosts the annual event to give its researchers an opportunity to present their work, which stems from real-world issues encountered by businesses and organizations across Northern Ontario.
For her study, Brohm is interviewing current mine rescue officers who are serving with Ontario Mine Rescue to get their perspectives on what support they like and what they don’t like following a mine rescue incident.
Support could be formal — accessing an Employee and Family Assistance Program or a peer support debriefing — or informal — simply speaking to family and friends about it.
“Good post-incident support isn't just having programs on paper,” Brohm said.
“It's really about centring Ontario Mine Rescue personnel as the experts, and this is going to include determining what supports they feel are helpful after a critical incident, what gets in the way, and what they think should change.”
There’s little in the way of existing research on this topic, Brohm said, despite the fact that Ontario Mine Rescue has been operational for nearly a century, following a devastating 1928 fire underground at Hollinger Mine in Timmins that killed 39 miners.
At the time, Brohm said, the province didn’t have the training, expertise, or equipment to deal with emergency mine incidents. Mine rescue teams were called in from Pittsburgh to extinguish the fire and mine management was responsible for recovering the bodies.
“That tragedy really did become a turning point,” Brohm said.
Today, mine rescuers are trained in everything from using breathing apparatus to first aid to rope firefighting to confined space training. But despite all the training, mine rescue is still a big responsibility, and not all outcomes are positive.
The emotional toll of a difficult rescue or recovery mission is heightened when the mine rescuer is called to respond at their own workplace, or the person in trouble is a coworker, friend or community member, Brohm said.
For her study, she said, she is looking for people that are currently serving as mine rescuers who will answer a series of standard questions that she devised with input from Ontario Mine Rescue.
During the two- to three-hour interview, Brohm will aim to find out what mine rescuers do after an incident, what support feels safe to access, what barriers exist, and what changes they think would make a difference.
“The intent here is really to generate some practical, context-specific recommendations, but those have to be grounded in qualitative evidence rather than assumptions,” she said. “So we want to hear from the individuals that are actually engaged in this work.”
Ontario mine rescuers taking part in a mine rescue competition.
Image: Ontario Mine Rescue
To ensure she’s capturing their responses accurately, participants will have an opportunity to review their answers before they’re compiled into a final report for Ontario Mine Rescue.
Recruitment for the study is underway, and Brohm encourages current Ontario Mine Rescue volunteers or staff members that are interested to get in touch.
Interviews can be done in person, by phone, or by video, and Brohm emphasized that any information provided will not be shared with participants’ employers. Any identifying details, such as names, will be kept confidential through the process.
“The most effective support systems are the ones that people trust enough to actually use. This study really does aim to document that in a respectful and in a confidential way,” Brohm said.
“And I really do want to know what mine rescue personnel says works, what doesn't, and what should change. Because we really want post-incident supports to match the real needs of these people that are doing this brave, altruistic work.”
