Safety personnel and ventilation engineers need a tool for the design of credible fire scenarios and appropriate emergency response procedures. A validated ventilation network model with measured site-specific parameters is a necessary starting point for development of underground fire simulations. MineFire, based on the NIOSH MFIRE program, is an engineering tool used to simulate fire dangers. The MineFire tool combines the visualization and network editing tools familiar to ventilation engineers with fire simulation capabilities and result visualizations.
Employing the evaluation tools one can develop realistic emergency procedures, including escape route planning and emergency response to maintain the health and safety of the underground workforce.
This paper covers the three principle roles of mine fire simulations:
- Ventilation system design and evaluation
- Operator training
- Emergency preparedness planning
Practical working knowledge contained in the MineFire program will be great for planning mining ventilation networks and the dynamic responses to fire events that will greatly improve emergency preparedness.
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