中文译文生成中，先为你显示原文。
By the experts at Dräger
For decades, mine rescue teams have relied on verbal reporting chains, analogue radios and paper documentation. In the dark, damp, high-stress conditions underground, those tools left plenty of room for error. Ontario Mine Rescue (OMR), one of the world’s most established mine rescue organizations, decided to change that.
Founded in 1929 and operating under Workplace Safety North, OMR trains and equips roughly 900 volunteer rescue workers across more than 30 mining operations in Ontario. Since 2022, the organization has partnered with Dräger to deploy Focus FS, a cloud-based platform connected to rugged tablets and to safety equipment such as the Dräger BG ProAir breathing apparatus and Bluetooth-enabled X-am gas detectors.
The result, according to OMR’s leadership, is a fundamentally different quality of information during operations and a safety benefit that reaches well beyond the tablet itself.
“Digital data reduces the potential for errors caused by verbal reporting chains and poor communication conditions underground,” says Shawn Rideout, Chief Mine Rescue Officer at OMR, who is responsible for safety, operational standards and command. High-quality information from underground teams is critical to his role: it enables faster decisions and a clearer real-time picture of a mission as it unfolds. “Digital data is a gamechanger,” Rideout says, “because the quality of information is an absolute safety factor.”
Gorden Sullivan, OMR’s Technical Standards Officer, oversees the research and rollout of new technologies. He remembers the limits of the paper-based process well: “They are slow in preparing for an operation and prone to discrepancies and errors in documentation.” For Sullivan, Focus FS closes that gap. Structured entries replace inconsistent handwriting and abbreviations; standardized processes make training more efficient and lower the risk of error during an operation. “Digital data is especially valuable in mine rescue because it improves speed, accuracy, legibility and durability,” he says.
Built for underground conditions
Focus FS was designed with input from rescue practitioners rather than as a generic IT tool, which shows in details that matter underground. Data keeps recording even without a network connection, using a store-and-forward principle; once connectivity returns, the tablet automatically syncs new information such as updated maps while pushing its own data, including incident photos and team status, back to the surface.
Device connectivity adds another layer of reliability. Via Bluetooth, the tablets link automatically to the Dräger BG ProAir breathing apparatus to capture remaining oxygen pressure in real time, building a complete consumption timeline without manual entry. They also connect to Dräger’s latest Bluetooth-enabled X-am gas detectors, so spot measurements sync straight to the cloud with a single action. For team captains, that reduces cognitive load; for command centre staff, it means error-free data; for management, a verified record of critical safety parameters.
Jim Lundrigan, Chief Operating Officer at Technica Mining in Sudbury and a 25-year veteran of OMR, sees the offline capability as key to scaling digital rescue tools across sites with different networks and processes. “The potential for using AI with Focus FS is huge,” he adds. “It can help make even better decisions in the middle of an emergency based on data from past operations. And if more states, provinces and countries work together to collect such data, we could use AI in a collaborative approach to bring about significant positive outcomes.”
Closing the gap between underground and surface
Iain McKillip, Manager of Business Planning at Glencore Nickel-Zinc and Chair of OMR’s Advisory Committee, points to a long-standing gap between the quality of information available underground and the GPS- and messaging-driven systems taken for granted on the surface. “Digital platforms like Focus FS have the potential to replicate surface-level situational awareness and communication even under the most difficult underground conditions,” he says.
That shows up in practical ways. Teams can go underground almost immediately after arriving at the scene because briefings are delivered digitally on the tablet, saving time that matters more as mines grow larger and access routes longer. Because data syncs across devices, surface command stays continuously informed of mission progress and conditions, and the next relief team can be briefed before the current crew even comes back up.
Dave Kelly, a Team Captain at OMR responsible for tracking his team’s fatigue levels, cylinder pressure, gas readings and position underground, says the shift from the old pen-and-paper system is not one he would reverse. “The greatest value for the whole emergency unit lies not in the tablet itself, but in the digital ecosystem behind it,” he says. “The ability to capture information in a structured way, to keep it offline, to synchronize it and to present it for different roles – that is central to the coordination of the whole mission. Having live data is invaluable.”
Beyond the mission: learning and prevention
The value of digital operational data does not end when a mission does. Debriefings are faster and clearer, and logs benefit from integrated external data sources. McKillip calls this a frequently underrated advantage: high-quality operational data also feeds prevention efforts and helps refine tactics and equipment for the future. At OMR, Focus FS is treated less as an archive and more as an active tool the organization keeps building on.
Security is built into that foundation. Focus FS uses role-based access control, multi-factor authentication, encryption and segregated environments, backed by continuous monitoring and defined data-handling procedures. It runs on a resilient, highly available cloud architecture, while customers retain full ownership and control of their data.
A benchmark for the industry
OMR sees itself as part of a broader emergency response ecosystem that includes fire and ambulance services, all of which can draw on the same kind of digital insight and expertise. Its leaders believe the clearest way to bring other mine rescue organizations along is through real examples: best-practice cases built on successful missions, not abstract promises.
For an organization with nearly a century of history and 900 volunteer rescuers across Ontario, that hands-on credibility carries weight – and it is exactly why OMR’s four years of experience with Focus FS matters well beyond its own operations.
About Focus FS
Focus FS is a cloud-based, field-ready platform that helps industrial sites such as mines strengthen safety, emergency readiness and daily operational performance. It connects directly with Dräger’s safety equipment, supports established emergency response standards, and uses embedded AI to help teams interpret complex information faster while preserving command authority. The modular, scalable platform integrates easily into existing site systems.
About Ontario Mine Rescue
The Canadian mine rescue organization OMR is part of Workplace Safety North and was founded in 1929. With around 900 volunteer rescue workers across more than 30 mining operations across Ontario, OMR is one of the most established mine rescue organizations in the world.
About Dräger
Dräger manufactures medical and safety technology products. We protect, support, and save people’s lives around the world in hospitals, with fire departments, emergency services, authorities, and in mining as well as industry. Founded in Lübeck in 1889, listed enterprise in its fifth generation as a family-run business. Dräger has grown into a worldwide company; the company has more than 16,000 employees worldwide and is present in over 190 countries around the globe.