Mission and vision
The mission of Central Mine Rescue Station S.A. is to promptly provide assistance
in the event of a threat to the lives or health of persons present
in the mining plant, ensuring the safety of the mining plant’s operations, as well as public safety, and participating in
the economic and defense activities of the country
History
The first mentions of organized actions of mining rescue groups in Upper Silesia date back to the 1970s of the twentieth century. With the development of the industry, mining plants began to emerge, which supplied coal – the main raw material for steam-powered machinery in factories. The work of a miner has always been not only hard, but also dangerous. Therefore, with the development of mining facilities, rescue services began to be organized within them. Sometimes, they were formed at the initiative of the miners themselves, while other times such a group was organized by the owner of the mining plant. The emerging teams, however, operated independently. There was a lack of a centralized institution that would oversee their work. There were also no appropriate regulations governing the work of mine rescue teams.
In the nineteenth century, when mining rescue teams began to be formed, the Polish state did not exist. The entire Upper Silesia belonged to Prussia. It was the German administration that, as one of the first in the world, created in 1900 a law regulating mining rescue operations. Based on this law, the sixth section of the Fraternal Vocational Association was established in the Upper Silesian region, with its headquarters in Tarnowskie Góry. However, the very decision to establish a center to oversee the activities of all emergency services in Upper Silesia was not made until after the tragic events at the French Curriere mine in 1906, during which 1,099 people died, including many children. On September 22, 1906, during the meeting of the board of the sixth section of the Fraternal Vocational Association, a decision was made to build the Upper Silesian Main Mining Rescue Station in Bytom. The construction works started a year later.
Despite ongoing construction works, Bytom Station was formally put into operation in 1908. At that time, the completed works included the construction of an experimental drift. The station itself changed its name to the “Upper Silesian Main Mining Rescue Station” and the “Upper Silesian Experimental Drift in Bytom”.
According to the adopted regulations, the station has been obliged to provide assistance to mining facilities in case of emergencies or rescue operations.
These actions did not change even during the First World War. After the war, the entire Upper Silesia became a disputed territory between the re-emerged Poland and Germany. It was only in 1922, after three Silesian uprisings and a conducted plebiscite, that the border of the reborn Republic of Poland was delineated. The station, Bytom itself, as well as the western part of the Silesian Voivodeship, were administratively assigned to Germany. The eastern part of the Silesian region found itself within the borders of Poland. However, the station supervised and coordinated the activities of rescue services throughout the district, changing its name in the late 1920s to the “Upper Silesian Main Mining Rescue Station and Experimental Drift in Bytom”. In 1929, a permanent mining rescue team was established at the Station.
After the outbreak of the Second World War in Polish territories, the ‘Upper Silesian Main Mining Rescue Station’ was entrusted with the supervision and control of all mining rescue services.
The next changes in the organization of mining rescue occurred in the years 1941-1942. At that time, the ‘Upper Silesian Association for Mine Safety and Mining Rescue’ was established, which took over the management and maintenance of the Station in Bytom from the ?Fraternal Company?.
After the end of the Second World War, the entire Upper Silesian region found itself within the administrative boundaries of Poland. At that time, the Central Board of the Coal Industry (hereinafter CBCI) was established, which supervised the existing rescue stations not only in Upper Silesia (Bytom, Mikołów), but also in the Western Sudetes Foothills (Wałbrzych).
In 1947, the CBCI decided to close the station in Mikołów and hand over its premises to the Institute of Scientific Research of the Coal Industry. At the same time, a decision was made to transform the Stations in Bytom, Sosnowiec, and Wałbrzych into District Mining Rescue Stations. The role to coordinate rescue operations was entrusted to the Station in Bytom.
Further changes in mining rescue services were introduced as early as 1948. Then, the Mining Rescue Station of the Coal Industry was also established in Bytom, with regional branches in Bytom, Sosnowiec, and Wałbrzych.
The most significant changes in the operation of mining rescue services were introduced in 1958.
At that time, the Mining Rescue Station of the Coal Industry was renamed to the Central Mining Rescue Station (Centralna Stacja Ratownictwa Górniczego, CSRG), which began to supervise and control rescue operations in all mining facilities. The Central Mining Rescue Station was also transformed into a state-owned enterprise.In 1958, additional District Mining Rescue Stations were also established in Jaworzno, Tychy, Wodzisław Śląski, and Zabrze.
Thanks to the efforts of the Central Mining Rescue Station, and with the support of the Higher Mining Office, in the following years, further District Mining Rescue Stations were organized:
- In 1963, for chemical raw material mines, with offices Kłodawa and Rudki near Kielce (liquidated in 1972), and in 1972 in Tarnobrzeg-Machów,
- In 1965, for the iron ore mines in Sabinów (Częstochowa) and in 1971 in Lubin for the copper ore mines,
- In 1976, for the oil and natural gas mines, with an office Krakow.
In 1974, the construction of the new building of the Central Mining Rescue Station, which had begun four years earlier, was completed.
On January 1, 2005, the Central Mining Rescue Station was transformed into a state-owned single-person company.
Maltese Cross symbolism
Mining rescue services – these services embody the noble endeavor of providing aid, exemplified by the selflessness of mining personnel, not only for the benefit of their fellow colleagues but also for those endangered by the forces of nature. Around the world, individuals within these services are recognized by a distinctive emblem, signifying their commitment and expertise in rescue operations.
The Maltese Cross is a symbol of Polish mining rescue services. The essential element is the cross of specific shapes, worn on the religious attire of the members of the Order of Malta, who provided assistance to those in need. The color of the cross arms is red with a yellow border, in reference to the international Red Cross organization. In the central part, there is a horizontally divided shield.
At the bottom of the shield, against a green background, old mining tools are depicted – a pickaxe and a hammer, symbolizing mining. At the top is the image of the wings of the Upper Silesian eagle, which is an element of the coats of arms of the Piast princes, granted to the city of Tarnowskie Góry and the Mining Office established in this city in 1529 by the Opole Prince Jan II the Good.
Important facts
- The Company’s sole shareholder is the State Treasury.
- CSRG S.A. is a company of special economic and defense significance.
- The company is registered in the registry of units cooperating with the State Medical Rescue System of the Silesian Voivodeship and operates within the National Rescue and Firefighting System.
- CSRG S.A. is a member of the following organizations:
- Polish Chamber of Ecology,,
- Polish Mining Chamber of Industry and Commerce,,
- Foundation of Mining Families,,
- Prof. W. Cybulski – Safe Mining -Foundation
At the initiative of Centralna Stacja Ratownictwa Górniczego S.A, the International Mines Rescue Body was established in 2001. Representatives of the following 9 countries signed cooperation agreements: Australia, Great Britain, France, the Czech Republic, Romania, South Africa, Slovakia, Poland, USA The team, currently consisting of 23 countries, aims to promote the activities of the mining rescue services.