New protocols, faster response: Pinto Valley’s HSE team delivers

Pinto Valley's health, safety and environment department has spent this year strengthening the mine's emergency-response capabilities, and last month that investment paid off. Under new mine rescue team specialist Tim Rogers, the team coordinated a rapid, multiagency response to two separate wildfires within three days — a result company officials credit directly to the department's preparation.

Rogers, who joined Capstone Copper Pinto Valley in April 2026, brings more than a decade of frontline emergency-response experience to the mine. Rogers began his career in mining, and has also served as an emergency medical technician and wildland firefighter with the U.S. Forest Service, and he holds a degree in nursing.

"From medical emergencies and technical rope rescues to fire response, my goal is to build a team that is highly trained, prepared and capable of responding to any incident on or around mine property," Rogers said.

Being prepared was key, when, in late June, staff spotted smoke near Pinto Creek. Rogers coordinated site access for responding agencies, supplied 4,000-gallon water trucks to refill engines and established a helicopter dip site to support aerial firefighting. Two days later, when a second fire closed U.S. Route 60 in both directions, the team kept the mine's workforce informed in real time and managed site traffic to support firefighters, ensuring the highway could reopen safely and employees were left stranded.

"Pinto Valley plays an important role in supporting local emergency response efforts and working alongside our community partners during emergencies," Rogers said, noting that the mine similarly supported the Globe-Miami community during the 2025 floods by providing equipment and operators for cleanup and recovery.

"This is what a strong HSE culture looks like in practice," said Mark Scott, Pinto Valley's general manager. "A proactive team, clear protocols and people who take ownership the moment something goes wrong."