Provincial mining competition takes over a Greater Sudbury arena
The Dr. Edgar Leclair Arena in the Greater Sudbury community of Azilda last week turned out to be a popular place as miners from across the region gathered to compete in the Ontario Mine Rescue District Competition.
From May 8-10 mine rescue teams from across the province to their skills to the test by competing in the Ontario Mine Rescue District Competition at the Dr. Edgar Leclair Arena in the Greater Sudbury community of Azilda. (Supplied/Workplace Safety North)
Mine rescuers from the Sudbury and Onaping districts were invited to come out and put their skills to the test in both written theory tests and practical exercises, with the best-of-the-best going on from here to compete in the provincials.
“So this is a very interesting project for us, just a lot of building that goes with weeks of preparation just in developing the problem, finding out how we’re going to roll out the problem, getting all of the supplies here and then we build a makeshift mine in the middle of an arena,” said Scott Gillett, a mine rescue officer with the Sudbury/Onaping district.
The competitions create simulated underground emergencies where teams are evaluated on their firefighting skills, first-aid response, use of emergency equipment and decision-making ability under stress. It also extends to a written theory exam and an assessment of technical who service vital emergency response equipment.
“We applied special coverings to competitors masks to emulate decreased visibility,” said Shawn Rideout, chief mine rescue officer at Workplace Safety North.
“This prepares teams for heavy smoke conditions present with large underground fires – communication skills and teamwork are vital in these situations.”
From May 8-10 mine rescue teams from across the province to their skills to the test by competing in the Ontario Mine Rescue District Competition at the Dr. Edgar Leclair Arena in the Greater Sudbury community of Azilda. (Supplied/Workplace Safety North)
Rideout added that organizers are always finding new ways to challenge the teams.
“The scenarios go from extracting casualties trapped in collapses to descending a mine shaft with rope gear,” he said.
Rideout said the live-action experiences are the best way to be able to put their knowledge to the test.
From May 8-10 mine rescue teams from across the province to their skills to the test by competing in the Ontario Mine Rescue District Competition at the Dr. Edgar Leclair Arena in the Greater Sudbury community of Azilda. (Supplied/Workplace Safety North)
“It’s tremendously important to our community, just due to the fact that we practice our mine rescue procedures, our mine rescue tactics very, very heavily. The calibre of mine rescuer that comes out of these procedures and practices are at a very, very high level,” said Gillett.
From May 8-10 mine rescue teams from across the province to their skills to the test by competing in the Ontario Mine Rescue District Competition at the Dr. Edgar Leclair Arena in the Greater Sudbury community of Azilda. (Supplied/Workplace Safety North)
Members of the public were invited to come out and watch the district competitions for a chance to see the trained volunteers in action.
Eight teams of mine rescue volunteers from Algoma, Kirkland Lake, Sudbury, Onaping, Thunder Bay, Red Lake, Timmins and Southern Ontario emerged victorious during the competition.
The winners
The winners of each district are as follows:
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
The winner of each district will go on to vie for the coveted gold hardhats at the 2024 Provincial Competition which is being held June 4 - 7 at Fort Williams Gardens Arena in Thunder Bay, Ont.
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