Elk Valley mine rescue teams qualify for provincial competitions

1 of 3Volunteer ‘victims’ help make the first aid scenarios as realistic as possible. — Patrick Spohr photo courtesy East Kootenay Zone Mine Rescue Competition

2 of 3Competitors in the East Kootenay Zone Mine Rescue Competition showed their skills in five categories. — Patrick Spohr photo courtesy East Kootenay Zone Mine Rescue Competition

3 of 3Competitors are watched closely on their performance by experienced judges. — Patrick Spohr photo courtesy East Kootenay Zone Mine Rescue Competition

The Elk Valley mining industry’s high safety standards were on display Saturday, May 11 at the East Kootenay Zone Surface Mine Rescue and First Aid Competition.

The annual competition is hosted locally by the East Kootenay Mines Industrial Safety Association and gives teams the opportunity to be judged on how they would deal with five skill challenges: first aid, fire, bench, rope and a general task.

In the surface mine rescue category, Teck’s Coal Mountain Operations took first place in the six person team event, while Teck’s Greenhills Operations took second place.

Greenhills Operations took first place in the three person first aid event and Teck’s Line Creek Operations took second place.

Scott Shatalow of Coal Mountain Operations had the highest score in the written test and Loren Langille was named the best captain for his leadership of Greenhills Operations team.

Greenhills and Coal Mountain Operations will now compete in the six person team event at the provincial competition in Revelstoke, and Greenhills and Line Creek Operations will compete in the provincial three person first aid event.

In the level three first aid competition sponsored by Staying Alive Academy, SMS Elkford won first place and immediately donated their $1,000 prize money to Mining for Miracles, the mining industry’s campaign to raise money for the BC Children’s Hospital. The Canfor team from Elko took second place.

A Team Miracle exhibition team competed in this category. Team Miracle is a province-wide initiative which aims to raise the profile of mine rescue while also raising money for the Mining for Miracles campaign. Team Miracle was given the novice trophy.

Two teams from Sparwood Junior Firefighters competed in the intermediate first aid competition. The Annihilators were awarded first place and The Eradicators came in second.

The awards were presented at a banquet for 350 people at Fernie Community Centre. Around a dozen volunteers helped Fording River Operations organize the event, which was held at Finning in Sparwood.