2013 VA Governor’s Cup Mine Rescue Contest

Jewell team takes top honors in mine rescue competition
WVVA TV
June 10, 2013
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Jewell Smokeless Coal Corporation's Black Team took top honors in the Twenty-eighth Annual Governor's Cup Mine Rescue and Safety Contest Friday, June 7, 2013, on the campus of Southwest Virginia Community College in Richlands, VA.  The rescue and safety contest was cosponsored by the Virginia Mining Association (VMA), Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy (DMME), and the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA).

The teams competed to conduct rescue and recovery operations in a staged mine disaster scenario.  Team members donned full mine rescue gear, including oxygen breathing apparatus, to determine underground mine conditions, construct ventilation controls and locate and extract accident "victims".  The teams were judged on their thoroughness in recording mine conditions on a map as they advanced into the "mine" and their ability to identify and respond to hazards that could endanger the team or trapped miners.

DMME Director Conrad Spangler presented trophies to the top three winning teams.  "Mine rescue contests present an excellent opportunity for rescue teams to practice their skills in a competitive environment, working against the clock," said Spangler.  "Practice and dedication make the difference if and when these teams are called out in an emergency to help other miners."

Governor's Cup/First Place Team: Jewell Smokeless Coal Corporation, Black Team: Nick Osborne, Captain; Jason Stanley, Sidney Crabtree, William Altizer, Greg Kennedy, Todd Ward, and Alternate: Keith Sisk.

Second Place Team: Dickenson-Russell Coal Corporation, A-Team: Jerry Stanley, Captain; Donald Duncan, John Tompa, Steve Linkous, Billy Weaver, Dennis Honaker, and Alternates: Franklin Moore, Lannie Hart, and George Boardwine.

Third Place Team: Lone Mountain Processing, Inc, Lone Mountain Team: Mike Bennett, Captain; Joe Eldridge, Jimmy Rouse, John Rutherford, Jude Johnson, Jody Napier, and Alternates: Dustin Robinson, and Michael Sloan.

Participating teams also included: CONSOL Energy, Inc., Black and Red Teams; Alpha Natural Resources, Southern Kentucky Mine Rescue: Jewell Smokeless Coal Corporation, Orange Team; Maxxim Shared Services, Blue and Gray Teams; TECO Coal Corporation, Blue and Gray Teams; Wellmore Coal Company Red and Gray Teams; and Virginia Small Operator Mine Rescue, Gold and Silver Teams.

Sponsors and exhibitors included Alpha Natural Resources, Buchanan Pump Services & Supply, Clintwood Elkhorn Mining Company, CONSOL Energy, Cumberland River Coal Company, Dominion Virginia, Eastern Coal Council, Environmental Monitoring, Inc. (EMI), Kennametal, Lee Supply Company, Inc., Lone Mountain Processing, Inc., National Mine Rescue Association Post 7, Patriot Mining, LLC, Regent Allied Carbon Energy (RACE Coal), Strata Products Worldwide, TECO Coal Corporation, United Central Industrial Supply, Victaulic, and West River Conveyors.

DMME and MSHA staff judged the competition.