Ontario Mine Rescue provincial competition winners
Monica Ferguson
Health & Safety Industry Resource Sector construction of ventilation detecting contaminated mine mine rescue equipment mine ventilation Ontario Mine Rescue provincial competition
Photo: Workplace Safety North.
Ontario Mine Rescue hosted the provincial competition in Sudbury, Ontario and announced the winners at a banquet on the final evening.
The provincial competition sent teams into an actual operating underground mine. Technical judges were hidden throughout the mine to evaluate teams against a pre-determined list of criteria based on the policies and procedures of the provincial mine rescue guidelines.
The scenario this year included the construction of ventilation infrastructure, the application of first aid to injured miners, the use of specialty mine rescue equipment, and the challenge of detecting contaminated mine ventilation and making it safe.
“Spectators viewed the teams via camera feed to surface,” says Ted Hanley, vice-president, Mine Rescue. “As each team navigates the mine and attempts to solve a variety of mine hazards using their knowledge, skills, and abilities to evacuate the workers trapped underground and restore the mine to safe working conditions. Skills are tested in as realistic a scenario as possible to help ensure they are prepared for future mine emergencies.”
The winners of this year’s event were:
Provincial Champion – 1st Overall – Newmont Musselwhite Mine, Red Lake District (Captain – Jack Lawson, #2 – Taylor Poling, #3 – Alexa Dumaine, #4 – Scott Lawson, Vice-captain – Philip Mullin, #6 – Jimmy Sinclair, Briefing Officer – Ryan Lepage, #7 – Nick Gosselin, Coaches – Chris Horde and Gabe Roy, and Mine Rescue Officers – Kurtis Atkinson and Jeff Farquharson).
2nd Overall – Impala Canada Lac des Isles Mine, Thunder Bay District
Team Firefighting Award – Newmont Musselwhite Mine, Red Lake District
Team First Aid Award – Lakeshore Gold Timmins West & Bell Creek Mines, Timmins District
Team Special Equipment Award – Newmont Musselwhite Mine, Red Lake District
Team Theory Exam Award – Lakeshore Gold Timmins West & Bell Creek Mines, Timmins District
Individual Technician Competition results:
1st – Garry Bennett, Alamos Gold, Young-Davidson Mine, Kirkland Lake District
2nd – Jean Yves Doiron, Vale Sudbury Operations, Sudbury District
3rd – Darren Bullied, Evolution Mining Red Lake Gold Mines, Red Lake District
