Eight teams of mine rescue volunteers from Algoma, Kirkland Lake, Sudbury, Onaping, Thunder Bay, Red Lake, Timmins, and Southern Ontario emerged victorious during the official Ontario Mine Rescue Competitions that took place May 8 to 10.

Winners will proceed to the provincial level where they vie for the coveted gold hardhats.

Mine rescue teams put their first aid knowledge to the test by retrieving a casualty from a confined space and treating a diabetic casualty with low sugars. Teams were then encouraged to use a state-of-the-art foam generator to eliminate a simulated fire, but with a challenging twist.

“We applied special coverings to competitors masks to emulate decreased visibility,” Shawn Rideout, chief mine rescue officer at Workplace Safety North, said in a news release.

“This prepares teams for heavy smoke conditions present with large underground fires – communication skills and teamwork are vital in these situations.”

The winners of each district are:

Algoma District:

Alamos Island Gold Mine. Captain Kaiden Harrietha, #2 Dominic Jean, #3 Evan Barley, #4 Jacob Paskus, Vice Captain Jessy DeChamplain, #6 Daniel Webb, Briefing Office Joel Labbe #7 Ben Eppert.

Winning technician: Kyle Ouellette – Alamos Island Gold.

Sudbury District:

Vale West Mine. Captain Chris Charbonneau, #2 Roch Berthiaume, #3 Shawn Barrette, #4 Madison Tracey, Vice Captain Dustin McKinnon, #6 Patricia Gagne, BO Lorne Beleskey, #7 Brian Reeves.

Winning technician: Nick Fram – Vale West Mine.

Onaping District:

Glencore SINO Fraser and Nickel Rim South Mines. Captain Julien Lalande, #2 Aaron Boutet, #3 Neil Poulin, #4 Alyssa Spry, Vice Captain Jesse Legault, #6 Shawn O’Brien, BO Bleir Millions.

Winning technician: Dan Rioux – Glencore.

Thunder Bay District:

Impala Lac Des Isles Mine. Captain Dillon Bradley, #2 Kyle Barbeau, #3 Christopher Strom, #4 Connor O’Limb, Vice Captain Devin Jackson, #6 Christopher Forsyth, BO Manuel Manero.

Winning technician: Monika Jorgensen – Impala Lac Des Isles Mine.

Red Lake District

Evolution Mining Red Lake Operations. Captain Scott McKean, #2 Tyler Lorenzini, #3 Geoff Taylor, #4 Jeff Merkel, Vice Captain David Zapora, #6 Carl Grondin, BO Rob Nylund.

Winning technician: Gabriel Roy – Newmont Musselwhite.

Timmins District

Lakeshore Gold West Bell Creek Mines. Captain Adam Weagle, #2 Shane Sullivan, #3 Brandon Duhan, #4 Andrew MacIvor, Vice Captain Natalie Lafontaine, #6 Serge Roy, BO Tyler Williams.

Winning technician: Mike Bennett – Glencore Kidd Operations.

Kirkland Lake District

Agnico Eagle Macassa Mine. Captain Nicholas Perrier, #2 Jackson Lafrance, #3 Jean-Francois Racine, #4 Denis Dion, Vice Captain Hubert Gour, #6 Carlie Dewar, BO April Belecque, #7 Colin Price.

Winning technician: Garry Bennett – Alamos Gold.

Southern District

CGC Hagersville Mine. Captain Joshua Stringer, #2 Scott Walton, #3 Charles Heaslip, #4 Ashlee Reitsma, Vice Captain Steve Wilkieson, #6 Allen Barber, BO Paul Hunt.

Winning technician: Matt Peebles – CGC Hagersville.

The Ontario Mine Rescue Provincial Championship is set to take place June 4 to 7 at Fort Williams Gardens in Thunder Bay, where only one team will win.

Source: MINING.COM – Read More