Drägerman - Real Mines Rescue Stories - Draegerman real mines rescue stories — Drägerman - Real Mines Rescue Stories
Contact us

Our Mine Rescue Solutions Don’t Just Protect Miners – They Protect Families

What makes a Drägerman? What drives them to do such dangerous work, day after day? Learn the history of the Drägerman and meet many real-life mine rescuers and their families who have opened their doors and hearts to us.

Drägerman History – How It All Began

It was an unbelievable disaster. On March 10, 1906, a massive explosion convulsed a coal mine near the French town of Courrières. One of our company’s founders, Bernhard Dräger, travelled to Courrières answering the call for aid. Bringing along with him a breathing apparatus which he had developed two years earlier.

The Dräger breathing apparatus rapidly gained a reputation as a far superior technology compared to the other solutions that were available at the time.

Since then, mines rescue and the development of respiratory devices have come a long way. But one thing remains the same: miners and mine rescuers, like the Boutets from Sudbury, Ontario, absolutely rely on the advanced respiratory devices manufactured by Dräger.

Drägerman - Real Mines Rescue Stories - Drägerman History – How It All Began – Group of Drägermen

Get to Know Our Mining Families

Discover why three generations of a family: grandfather, father and son, all volunteer for mines rescue. And why mine rescue can sometimes lead to a long-lasting love affair. Learn why mine rescuers won’t hesitate to trust their lives to a breathing apparatus from Dräger.

Meet the Boutets

The Boutets are a real Drägerman dynasty. Together Mike, Ron and Aaron represent a half century of mine rescue history. And all three of them are the most likeable guys you can imagine. See what they have to say about the past, present and future of mine rescue and the equipment they rely on.

Meet the Henshers

Simone Hensher wanted to stay with her family in Sudbury. So she went to university and became a mine engineer which kept her close to home and her community. Today Simone works at Glencore in Sudbury. She is a female Drägerman who has proven her determination in every field. For example, at the district championship, she beat a 10-year veteran technician and even reached a respectable 3rd place at the Ontario provincials. See for yourself, why Simone thinks of herself as a Drägerman.

Meet the Joliats

Joe and Pete Joliat are both senior training coordinators at their respective corporations. Joe works at Goldcorp and Pete at Tahoe Resources – both in Timmins, Ontario. During the test phase of our closed-circuit breathing apparatus, the Dräger PSS® BG 4, Pete was one of the team members who tested this device. And during this time, he was also one of the first people ever to use it in an emergency. Here’s another interesting situation that happened to Joe and his wife. Have a listen for yourself.

Meet the Duffys

To help and protect others is in Glen Duffy’s genes. He’s been a voluntary firefighter for 22 years and a Drägerman for 18. More so than anyone else, he wanted to keep his daughter and son away from his sorrows. That’s why Glen has never told them much about his job and mine rescue. Glen uses the opportunity of our interview to talk with his kids about it properly for the first time in their lives.

Meet the Wilsons

As a proud mine rescue member for 28 years, Bryan Wilson inked the logo of Ontario Mine Rescue on his skin on his 25th anniversary. He started as a miner and worked his way up to general manager. Bryan is also a proud father of five. His oldest son Justin is a supervisor at North American Palladium and an active Drägerman himself. This year he competed in the annual provincial championships trying to keep the family’s winning spirit alive – his dad won all the events in 2001.

Meet the Lundrigans

Jim Lundrigan decided against a potential career as a rock star to become a miner and mine rescuer. A career that has taken him far. Today, Jim is a mine superintendent at Glencore. He says, mine rescue has taught him to learn to make decisions and to deal with pressure. These are valuable life lessons which are helping his son Shane in his everyday life. He wants to follow in his father’s footsteps – a path that inspired him from an early age. Why? Just watch the video.

Meet the Hagans

John Hagan had retired as a Mine Rescue Officer with Workplace Safety North just a few weeks before we met him in Sudbury, Ontario. He’s been training new Drägermen for 30 years and tells us a lot about Ontario’s mine rescue program and the current challenges in the industry. As he shows us both historic and current equipment, you immediately get the impression that this man knows what he’s talking about.