The men were discovered when they tapped a message on a probe drill, and soon after that rescuers were able to meet their basic physical needs by sending food and water down a small pipe. It was clear that drilling a rescue shaft would take very much longer, so the major concern became maintaining the mental and spiritual fitness of the miners and their families.
Communication was recognised as extremely important so radio and video contacts were established to enable the miners to communicate with their families and the 'above ground ' world - giving them reassurance that people were aware of their plight and striving to help, but also giving a sense of belonging and being in touch with their ultimate goal of freedom.
Physically and mentally, the rescuers and miners were well equipped to deal with the situation. The rescuers had access to the right tools and machinery and were highly experienced in the mining environment so aware of likely risks but also had the right drilling, construction, project management and logistical skills to tackle the physical tasks confronting them and establish likely successful approaches. The miners were physically fit and experienced in the environment so more likely than most people to be able to survive the physical aspects of their plight relatively unharmed.
Thus, the main concern was maintenance of the miners' morale, confidence, faith and emotional well-being - what we term their spiritual fitness. This has been achieved in a number of ways including close involvement of their families, attention to all their physical needs including medicines, constant reassurance and keeping them informed of progress. Of particular importance, and handled extremely effectively, was managing the expectations of the miners.
Initial statements as to the likely rescue date were 'not until Christmas'. This must have been a hard blow for those trapped but became part of the initial situation and thus built into the scenario their mental and spiritual elements recognised as having to be faced. As the rescue has progressed, all news has been good news - in addition to establishing and constantly improving food, drink and communication chains, the predicted rescue date has been slowly brought forward, providing a constant boost to morale.
Imagine if this had been handled the other way round, with rescue initially promised within a week, then gradually pushed back. Confidence would have been shattered and the miners and their families would have started to fear that they would never get out.
Now that the rescue shaft is within close contact, it must be tempting for the rescuers to claim success and go for a quick release but again they have used extremely good psychology and exhibited spiritual strength by maintaining a rational, long-term view with safety, security and risk minimisation their foremost priorities. Thus they have taken precautions such as slowing the rate of drilling to avoid jamming the drill head as it breaks through into thin air. They have also pre-warned the miners and families that they will need to send a video camera through the shaft to determine whether it must be cased with steel to prevent rockfalls before rescue is initiated, and that this could take up to a week. Making this clear before the breakthrough is psychologically beneficial as it will not overshadow the delight at seeing the tunnel completed, but if left until after breakthrough, it could be a serious set-back for people who feel their ordeal is about to end to then be told 'another week'.
Even the order of rescue has been considered, starting with some strong characters who will be able to handle being first up what may be a precarious ride to the surface, then those suffering physically and mentally so in need of assistance, and finally the ones felt best able to wait until last to be rescued. To further boost morale, several rescuers will be travelling down the shaft to demonstrate their faith in its security, solidarity with the miners and to give them a further immediate link with the above ground world.
This rescue mission has been a first-rate illustration of Global Leadership.
Communication was recognised as extremely important so radio and video contacts were established to enable the miners to communicate with their families and the 'above ground ' world - giving them reassurance that people were aware of their plight and striving to help, but also giving a sense of belonging and being in touch with their ultimate goal of freedom.
Physically and mentally, the rescuers and miners were well equipped to deal with the situation. The rescuers had access to the right tools and machinery and were highly experienced in the mining environment so aware of likely risks but also had the right drilling, construction, project management and logistical skills to tackle the physical tasks confronting them and establish likely successful approaches. The miners were physically fit and experienced in the environment so more likely than most people to be able to survive the physical aspects of their plight relatively unharmed.
Thus, the main concern was maintenance of the miners' morale, confidence, faith and emotional well-being - what we term their spiritual fitness. This has been achieved in a number of ways including close involvement of their families, attention to all their physical needs including medicines, constant reassurance and keeping them informed of progress. Of particular importance, and handled extremely effectively, was managing the expectations of the miners.
Initial statements as to the likely rescue date were 'not until Christmas'. This must have been a hard blow for those trapped but became part of the initial situation and thus built into the scenario their mental and spiritual elements recognised as having to be faced. As the rescue has progressed, all news has been good news - in addition to establishing and constantly improving food, drink and communication chains, the predicted rescue date has been slowly brought forward, providing a constant boost to morale.
Imagine if this had been handled the other way round, with rescue initially promised within a week, then gradually pushed back. Confidence would have been shattered and the miners and their families would have started to fear that they would never get out.
Now that the rescue shaft is within close contact, it must be tempting for the rescuers to claim success and go for a quick release but again they have used extremely good psychology and exhibited spiritual strength by maintaining a rational, long-term view with safety, security and risk minimisation their foremost priorities. Thus they have taken precautions such as slowing the rate of drilling to avoid jamming the drill head as it breaks through into thin air. They have also pre-warned the miners and families that they will need to send a video camera through the shaft to determine whether it must be cased with steel to prevent rockfalls before rescue is initiated, and that this could take up to a week. Making this clear before the breakthrough is psychologically beneficial as it will not overshadow the delight at seeing the tunnel completed, but if left until after breakthrough, it could be a serious set-back for people who feel their ordeal is about to end to then be told 'another week'.
Even the order of rescue has been considered, starting with some strong characters who will be able to handle being first up what may be a precarious ride to the surface, then those suffering physically and mentally so in need of assistance, and finally the ones felt best able to wait until last to be rescued. To further boost morale, several rescuers will be travelling down the shaft to demonstrate their faith in its security, solidarity with the miners and to give them a further immediate link with the above ground world.
This rescue mission has been a first-rate illustration of Global Leadership.
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