OREANDA-NEWS. December 13, 2012. Yesterday, on December 12, DTEK Sverdlovanthracite conducted the biggest mine emergency response exercise at DTEK’s coal enterprises in recent years. For the first time ever, the Company engaged the Technogenic Environmental Safety and Emergency Commission (TES&E Commission) under the Executive Committee of Sverdlovsk Municipal Council for this purpose.

 The exercise featured more than 100 participants representing DTEK, the Municipal Council, the State Militarized Rescue Service, the Ministry of Emergencies of Ukraine, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, emergency medicine teams and mass media. Seven machinery units were involved.

 According to the exercise legend, fire broke out at the conveyor’s rubber-fabric belt in one of the mine workings at Mine Dolzhanska-Kapitalna of DTEK Sverdlovanthracite at 8:00, catching 13 people underground. Three miners got out on their own, five others were found lifeless and other five were admitted to hospital. Fourteen miners had to be evacuated from the nearby section.

 In the six-hour exercise, members of the ancillary mine rescue team of Mine Dolzhanska-Kapitalna, the State Militarized Rescue Service and emergency medicine teams practiced their skills of recovery operations in the underground working. The rescuers went down to fight the simulated fire and to evacuate the miners in the conditions as close to real-life accident as possible. The first aid station was deployed on the surface.

 The mine’s control centre in cooperation with the TES&E Commission under the Executive Committee of Sverdlovsk Municipal Council managed the emergency response exercise. The headquarters at DTEK’s Corporate Centre in Donetsk headed by Yuriy Ryzhenkov, Chief Operating Officer, coordinated the operations.

 ‘These exercises help us control the efficiency of the units’ cooperation in case of emergency,’ said Yuriy Ryzhenkov. ‘In a real-life situation, people’s life will depend on how quick and efficient we are. The accident response exercises are an important component of the country’s civil protection system, because they make us ready for any possible emergencies and help us upgrade our recovery skills. Analysis of this stress test will show us what can be improved at DTEK Sverdlovanthracite in this respect and what experience we can use at DTEK’s other coal enterprises.’