The Command Unit Rapid Response Task Force 1 and Mine Rescue Truck, created as a direct result of last year's Upper Big Branch explosion, features global positioning satellite technology, advanced lightning and weather detection for a range up to 300 miles, and video data recording capabilities.

The first-of-its-kind vehicle features a multi-station gas chromate-graph technology lab with rapid sample analysis, and two remote, portable labs that can be deployed for additional sampling requirements.

There is also a complete, full-featured mobile office complex onboard that has multiple smart boards and engineering equipment, and can perform internal and external media presentations. An advanced inter-agency, inter-operable communications system with high-speed military-grade satellite link operating with voice over IP and radio over IP is also included.

The mine rescue truck’s priority mission is for proactive use as a safety tool, Tomblin said. It will be on hand to perform minesite evaluations that will allow the West Virginia Office of Miners' Health Safety and Training, the state’s mining oversight office, to identify baseline atmospheric readings and determine which operations have potential atmospheric problems prior to an accident.

The vehicle will be operated by the Southern Community and Technical College's Mine Rescue Task Force 1 technical staff. The unit will also be available to assist with mine emergencies across the state or throughout the US.

"I am still saddened by the loss of 29 lives nearly one year ago," Tomblin said.

"The families of the UBB tragedy have said, 'Don't let this happen again', [and] this mine rescue truck is our response to help fulfill that request. We have made sure that it is fully equipped to provide mine rescue teams with the tools needed to greatly improve a mine rescue operation if and when called upon in the future."