When thirty-nine miners were asphyxiated in the 1928 Hollinger mine fire in Timmins, public concern prompted the province to set up mine rescue stations in Timmins (1929), Sudbury (1930), and Kirkland Lake (1932). The stations provided bases for rescue teams hand-picked from miners who volunteered for the dangerous work. Funded by an annual levy on mining companies, they stocked emergency gear and operated special smoke-rooms for training rescuers. In later years more stations were established and instruction was extended to deal with rockbursts, floods, bulkhead failures, and other mining hazards. Ontario miners have used the equipment and training provided by the stations to run a mine rescue system that responds quickly and effectively to emergencies in their workplaces.

Location

At the Big Nickel, on the east side of Big Nickel Mine Road, north off Highway 17 West, Sudbury

Themes

• Buildings and structures
• Industry and trade