| Mine rescue competition returns to Maysville The Ledger Independent June 20, 2012 Underground mine rescue teams from across the nation gathered at the Mason County Schools Athletic Annex Wednesday for the fifth annual Southeast Region/Central Kentucky Mine Rescue Contest sponsored by Carmeuse Lime and Stone. Mine rescue teams are required to complete hours of training each year in order to keep up skills need were an accident to occur, Eric Caba, Carmeuse Area Operations-Kentucky, said. This competition allows these teams to put their skills to the test. The rescue teams are put into a simulated emergency situation assigned to them by contest officials, and must work through it as they would if it was real. The teams are judged based on how well they solve the problem at hand, Caba said. Hypothetical situations include dealing with explosive gases or blocked passages. Teams must remember the rules of being in a mine, such as staying in good air and getting themselves, along with any person rescued, out of the mine safely. Points are deducted from the team's score when mistakes are made. The competition is split into various categories: knowledge (which involves a written test), field problem (simulations), first aid, and apparatus (knowing how to fix problems with machines such as gas monitors). The field portion of the Mine Rescue Contest takes the most time, beginning early in the morning and last until the evening. Two teams are put into the emergency situation at a time and have two hours to complete it. Just like an emergency situation, none of the teams have any advanced knowledge of the task before hand, Caba said. The Mine Rescue Contest is the largest local contest in the country. Three Kentucky teams are a part of the competition, along with teams from Georgia, Tennessee, New Mexico, Nevada and Kansas. Teams range from novice to experienced -- all working to hone their rescue skills. Members of the mine rescue teams are all volunteers and must have worked in a mine for at least two years, Caba said. All of the teams within the competition are actual rescue teams for various mines across the nation. The teams within the contest are not only getting the chance to use their training, but are also competing for trophies, titles and bragging rights. Awards are given for the various categories, and an overall winner is named. Caba said winning this event is no small feat -- it's all about pride. "There's pride in having the skills that hopefully they'll never have to use," he said. The awards banquet for the competition will take place at 6:30 p.m., today at the Tom Browning Boys and Girls Club in Maysville. |
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