Pinnacle Mine team earns 1st place at Alabama rescue competition
WVVA TV
June 4, 2014
See team photo
PINEVILLE (NEWS RELEASE) – Cliffs Natural Resources Inc. (NYSE: CLF) announced today that the Pinnacle Blue Mine Rescue Team, based at the Pinnacle Mining Complex in Wyoming County, took the overall first place at the Alabama Coal Association’s annual Alabama State Mine Rescue competition held at Bevill State Community College.
Twelve mine rescue teams from three states competed at the competition. The three-day competitions had events ranging from first aid, bench, and pre-shift to the more complex simulated mine rescue scenarios. Mine rescue teams are required to complete ninety-six hours of training and compete in a minimum of two competitions annually. Cliffs mine rescue teams regularly exceeded those minimum requirements.
“I am very proud of all the dedicated individuals on our rescue teams. The Blue teams’ performance at this competition is a confirmation of the high caliber of our mining professionals and the passion they have for the industry,” said Mark Nelson, Cliffs’ vice president for West Virginia coal operations. “The members of the Blue team started the 2014 competition year just like they finished the 2013 year, with another championship,” Nelson, referring to the Pinnacle Blue team’s championship performance at the 2013 National Mine Rescue Competition held in Columbus, Ohio last fall.
Mine Rescue Team members are volunteers that devote an extensive amount of time at trainings and competitions so they can continually improve and be ready to handle real life rescue situations if they should occur.
David Meadows, safety manager for the Pinnacle Mine added that, “Competitions are an important part of the training for rescue teams. These mine rescue contests help develop and test the skills of our mine rescue teams by using simulated emergency conditions.”
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