Bevill State Community College in Alabama received $77,000 in grant funding to develop video training modules of mine emergencies and safety scenarios to benefit its critical response staff as well as its entire mining workforce.

The school will also create a training manual which students can use at their mining operations.

A $61,000 grant was given to Bluefield State College in West Virginia, via its Center for Applied Research and Technology.

The institution plans to develop two web-enabled courses to enhance conveyer belt safety training.

Mine rescue training, including simulated and actual underground rescue exercises, with a focus on effective communications and decision-making, will be the focus for the Colorado School of Mines.

The popular mining engineering program received $80,000 of the Brookwood-Sago earmark.

The Pennsylvania State University will receive the largest segment of the funding award, $132,000, for the development, design, implementation and evaluation of a demonstration emergency prevention training program for supervisors.

Traditional classroom methods will be part of the program, as will state-of-the-art video technology, written training materials and internet-based learning.

The Colorado Department of Natural Resources received $57,000 to aid in the level and effectiveness of its mine emergency training.

The school intends to achieve that goal through networking and sharing mine emergency and MSHA-sponsored mine emergency response development training ideas with other mine rescue and emergency training groups nationwide.

Finally, the United Mine Workers Career Centers will get the second-largest segment of the funding, $93,000, to develop an interactive computer program that will train and prepare workers on underground escape procedures.

The training will involve critical thinking in a virtual emergency escape scenario, with teams advancing to new levels based on their responses to problems.

All Brookwood-Sago grants are awarded for 12-month periods and are given to states or nonprofit entities, including educational institutions.

Named in remembrance of 13 men who died in two explosions at the Jim Walter Resources Inc. No. 5 mine in Alabama in 2001 and 12 men who died in an explosion at the Sago mine in West Virginia in 2006, the grant award program was established through a provision in the Mine Improvement and New Emergency Response Act of 2006.

The fiscal 2010 awards were focused on training and training materials for mine emergency prevention and preparedness for underground operations.

“Training is one of the most important components for preparing miners, rescue teams and other personnel to respond to mine emergencies,” assistant secretary of labor for mine safety and health Joseph Main said.

“These grants provide a valuable opportunity to develop new training tools and techniques that will help ensure miners return home safely after every shift.”