Ontario Mine Rescue provincial competition winners announced

Mining
Wednesday, June 15th, 2022 8:52 am EDT

Unlike the district competitions, which are held in spectator-friendly hockey arenas with a maze of simulated mine workings constructed on the arena floor, the provincial competition sends teams into an actual operating underground mine.

“Spectators viewed the teams via camera feed to surface, 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,” Hanley added.

Technical judges hidden throughout the mine 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.

“Ontario Mine Rescue is proud to report that all seven of the highly skilled participating teams successfully resolved the emergency,” said Hanley. “Each team is evaluated on the strength of their strategy and use of safe procedures.”

The winners of this year’s event, with the provincial champions taking home the coveted gold hard hats, were as follows:

Team competition results:

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
  • 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

Also competing in the teams competition were:

Barrick Hemlo Williams mine, Algoma district

Alamos Gold Young-Davidson mine, Kirkland Lake district

Compass Minerals Goderich mine, Southern district

Onaping district – Did not qualify

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

Also competing in the individual technician competition were:

Monika Jorgenson, Impala Canada Lac des Isles mine, Thunder Bay district

James Greer, Wesdome Gold Mines Eagle River mine, Algoma district

Michael Bennett, Glencore Kidd mine, Timmins district

Jim Ahrens, Compass Minerals Goderich mine, Southern district

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