SPONSORS 2011

Thank you to our 2011 competition sponsors!

Platinum Sponsors
Draeger	Technica Mining
Gold Sponsor
De Beers Canada
Silver Sponsor
Acklands Grainger

 AWARDS 2011, Marathon

Workplace Safety North (WSN) and Ontario Mine Rescue crowned mine rescuers from Vale West Mines with gold hard hats as overall winners of the 61^st annual Ontario Mine Rescue Competition in Marathon.

FIREFIGHTING AWARD

Vale West Mines

TEAM FIRST AID AWARD

Xstrata Copper, Kidd Mine

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT AWARD (Hydraulic Bolt Cutter)

Xstrata Nickel

EQUIPMENT TECHNICIAN AWARD

OVERALL COMPETITION WINNERS

 AWARDS 2010, Timmins

SCENARIO

Ontario Mine Rescue returned to its origins in Timmins and the Hollinger Gold workings for the 2010 provincial competition at the Hollinger Underground Mine Tour. Mine rescue teams first demonstrated their skills in timed firefighting, high rope rescue, and lifting bag exercises, before being called to respond to an underground vehicle accident resulting from a fire. Rescuers recovered a casualty from the vehicle accident, and a second from an incident involving a jumbo drill, when the fire cut off their access to the ramp. Participants were forced to exit the mine by an Alimak lift at the end of the drift, when a temporary power outage stranded some in the lift and tried everyone's patience.

2010 Mine Rescue Competition Photo Album

FIREFIGHTING AWARD

Goldcorp Canada, Porcupine Gold Mine

TEAM FIRST AID AWARD

Xstrata Nickel

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT AWARD

Barrick Gold, Hemlo Operation

EQUIPMENT TECHNICIAN AWARD

OVERALL COMPETITION WINNERS

 AWARDS 2009, Windsor

SCENARIO

The 2009 Ontario Provincial Mine Rescue Competition was held at the Windsor Expo Centre with a floor plan that featured 460 feet of smoke-filled tunnels. Mine rescuers had to provide first aid to an unconscious miner, locate a storage room where a miner had taken refuge, extinguish a fire, and then, equipped with one stretcher and one suitable breathing apparatus, determine how to assist and evacuate four unconscious miners found in a contaminated environment.

2009 Mine Rescue Competition Photo Album

FIREFIGHTING AWARD

Goldcorp Canada, Musselwhite Mine

TEAM FIRST AID AWARD

Goldcorp Canada, Porcupine Gold Mines

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT AWARD (Come Along Winch)

Vale Inco, East Mines

EQUIPMENT TECHNICIAN AWARD

OVERALL COMPETITION WINNERS

 AWARDS 2008, Sudbury

SCENARIO

The 2008 mine rescue competition took place at NORCAT's underground training facility -- Fecunis Mine -- and at the Greater City of Sudbury's Alertec fire training facility. Cameras underground provided a live feed of the action to the spectators gathered above ground.

This year's scenario involved extinguishing a mine fire and locating three missing workers. Teams had to negotiate a tight situation when a missing electrician with a closed fracture to his femur was found on a catwalk. The catwalk was only accessible by a steep ladder and teams had to strap the victim to a backboard and lower him down the ladder.

The teams had to continue down the drift to find the other missing two miners and extinguish a fire on a scooptram. Due to the water lines being down, the teams had to return to surface to obtain a portable Compressed Air Foam System (CAFS) that could extinguish the fire.

The teams also had to respond to an emergency call at Alertec where a worker had fallen from a five-story building and was suspended in his fall arrest harness. The team had to set up the GripTech rope system and perform a pick off to rescue the individual.

 2008 Mine Rescue Competition Photo Album

FIREFIGHTING AWARD

Xstrata Nickel, Fraser/TL Mine

TEAM FIRST AID AWARD

Xstrata Nickel, Fraser/TL Mine

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT AWARD (Lifting Bags)

(Tie) Compass Minerals, Sifto and Hemlo Operations

EQUIPMENT TECHNICIAN AWARD

OVERALL COMPETITION WINNERS

 AWARDS 2007, Sault Ste. Marie

SCENARIO

The 2007 scenario included having one rescue team member pulled from the rescue to attend the birth of his seventh child, and search and rescue inside the tight confines of a specially-designed trailer.

2007 Mine Rescue Competition Photo Album

FIREFIGHTING AWARD

Xstrata Nickel, Craig/TL Mines

TEAM FIRST AID AWARD

CVRD INCO, East Mines

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT AWARD (Lifting Bags)

Canadian Gypsum Co., Hagersville Mine

EQUIPMENT TECHNICIAN AWARD

OVERALL COMPETITION WINNERS

 AWARDS 2006, Timmins

SCENARIO

The provincial mine had a report of smoke from an electrician on the 1600 level. All personnel reported in, with the exception of three men on the 1700 level.

To complete the scenario, the teams were required to travel to 1700 level where they encountered medium smoke in the 1700 w drift. They discovered one missing man in the refuge station and then travelled on to find evidence of an explosion at the 1701 xc. The explosion had knocked out the water line. In the entrance a diamond drill had been set up.

Past the diamond drill the team encountered thick smoke and heat. To battle the fire, the team needed to repair the water line. Once the fire was extinguished, they were able to hear someone calling for help from the 1750 drift. The team discovered a man trying to help his unconscious partner who was pinned against the wall by heavy mobile equipment. The team had to use lifting bags to free the man. Once the man was safely taken to surface, officials declared the scenario over.

FIREFIGHTING AWARD

Falconbridge, Craig/TL Mines

TEAM FIRST AID AWARD

Falconbridge, Craig/TL Mines

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT AWARD (Lifting Bags)

Falconbridge, Craig/TL Mines

EQUIPMENT TECHNICIAN AWARD

OVERALL COMPETITION WINNERS

 AWARDS 2005, Hamilton

SCENARIO

A mine foreman reported to the superintendent that a high water alarm had been triggered in the sump and 10minutes later smoke was reported coming out of the shaft; a fault alarm at the conveyor transfer has also gone off. The control group sounded the alarm and all personnel were accounted for except for three men working in the S3-1 drift.

To complete the scenario, the teams were required to travel, under oxygen, to the S3-2 conveyor transfer. Upon arrival, they discovered a fire that needed to be extinguished. Once the fire is out they were able to proceed to S3-3 where damaged ventilation doors were discovered, low oxygen readings were encountered and the radios ceased to work.

Officials considered the scenario over when the three men were found - one was at the refuge station, one was trapped behind the conveyor and one was behind a barricade treated for injuries, and safely brought to surface.  

FIREFIGHTING AWARD

Inco Ltd. West Mines

TEAM FIRST AID AWARD

Canadian Salt, Ojibway Mine

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT AWARD (Reciprocating Saw)

Falconbridge, Fraser/TL Mines

EQUIPMENT TECHNICIAN AWARD

OVERALL COMPETITION WINNERS

 AWARDS 2004, Sudbury

SCENARIO

Mine rescue teams are called to provide assistance during a non-fire emergency to break large muck that blocked a drift in which two men were trapped. Teams were informed they need to break the fallen muck with a rock splitter. Upon freeing the two trapped men, the mine rescue teams were called to surface by the warning system.

On surface teams were informed of an underground fire and a missing raise miner. The teams had to return underground and travel to the Alimak raise to find the injured man, and then proceed to the warehouse to extinguish the fire.

FIREFIGHTING AWARD

Inco Ltd. East Mines

TEAM FIRST AID AWARD

Falconbridge Fraser/TL

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT AWARD (Rocksplitter)

Inco Ltd. East Mines

EQUIPMENT TECHNICIAN AWARD

OVERALL COMPETITION WINNERS