Madisonville to House the Nation's Fourth Emergency Response Hub

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Madisonville will house the nation’s fourth Mine Safety and Health Administration emergency response center.

MSHA’s Kevin Stricklin says the new center starts operations in early spring. Stricklin says having those capabilities in Madisonville reduces mining disaster response time in the Midwest by around eight hours.

“Big thing would be mine rescue personnel. People who can immediately go into the mine. They’ll have breathing apparatus available to them. They’ll have a command center that we’re able to be in touch with basically anywhere in the world no matter what the cell service may be," said Stricklin.

The center will serve Kentucky, Illinois and Indiana. Stricklin says the Midwest is the fastest growing mining region in the U. S.

MSHA’s other emergency centers are in West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Utah.