Southern IL college develops program to simulate coal mine rescues

ILLINOIS (KFVS) - Southern Illinois has a new way to prepare in case of a mining disaster.

The simulator is set up and ready to go at Southeastern Illinois College in Harrisburg. Coal companies will use the facility to train rescue teams how to respond to an emergency.

"The more mines we have in Southern Illinois the more important it's going to be because each company has it's own mine rescue team. This is a facility where they can come and train so that their rescue teams will be more than adequately trained in case we have a catastrophe," said Diane Russell, Special Projects Coordinator.

The simulator is a partnership between Southeastern Illinois College and Illinois Eastern Community Colleges. The team will develop programs for trainers to use based on previous mining disasters.

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