EMESRT Launches Mobile Equipment Fire Management Knowledge Hub

The EMESRT Advisory Group is pleased to announce the launch of its Mobile Equipment Fire Management Knowledge Hub.

Despite ongoing improvements, hazards still create exposure for mobile equipment fires in both surface and underground mining if not well controlled through adequate design and management practices.

Undetected fires can spread rapidly. Fires can cause serious injuries or fatalities, stop production and damage equipment. Serious fire risk exists in all forms of mining. In underground mining, the potential for fire events to be catastrophic is real.

In order to assist the industry, EMESRT is launching its Mobile Equipment Fire Knowledge Hub, a curated online collection of tools, case studies, reference information, with links to relevant websites and other informative resources for all stakeholders.

The launch of the Knowledge Hub follows the December 2021 launch of Performance Requirement 4 – Mobile Equipment Fire Management.

Performance Requirement 4 was developed following an extensive industry consultative process, involving mining company representatives, original equipment manufacturers, regulators, fire detection and suppression system providers, fire system designers, academics and researchers to better understand OEM and fire suppression design opportunities.

EMESRT first turned its attention to mobile equipment fires in 2007, when it published an initial Design Philosophy (DP-4) focussing on fire.

In 2018, EMESRT formed an industry technical working group to review the existing design philosophy (DP-4) which identified that the depth of guidance in DP-4 needed further supporting detail and the decision to develop a more detailed Performance Requirements document was taken by EMESRT. 

This led to the Mobile Equipment Fire Management Project being established in 2019.

EMESRT Advisory Group member and Project Lead, Mr Mark Geerssen said the mobile equipment fire management project focused on ways to understand and mitigate fire initiating events on mobile equipment to as low as reasonably practical, including using design to address foreseeable human error.

Launching the Knowledge Hub is an important milestone for the EMESRT Equipment Fires Technical Working Group. 

Mr Geerssen expressed his appreciation to the working group members and their member companies for their time and effort and thanked the EMESRT Advisory Group for their support throughout the project.

The Mobile Equipment Fire Knowledge Hub can be accessed via the Knowledge Hubs tab on the EMESRT website – emesrt.org.