Manitoba Mine Rescue
Manitoba Provincial Mine Rescue Competition
Held in May, MAMI’s annual Manitoba Provincial Mine Rescue Competition ensures that the skills of mine rescue personnel remain sharp, and that the industry continues to build on its record of strong safety performance.
These competitions are a vital part to keeping our personnel safe and a valuable opportunity for teams to learn from one another. The competition takes place at a different operating mine each year, on a rotational basis.
Over the two days of competition, teams challenge themselves and each other in underground and first aid mine rescue missions, the Technician’s competition, they tackle the written exam, and conduct Firefighting tests, as well as other practical skills events such as the Perfect Square, Tug of War, Target Practice, and Jaws of Life Jenga.
The intense training and numerous hours these individuals put in to hone their skills prior to competing and the teamwork and support from their families all contribute to the competitor’s success during the competition. Camaraderie, sportsmanship and the sense of pride to be a member of a mine rescue team all contribute to a high energy competition where teams compete against their peers—where the stakes are high and competition is fierce.
The general public may not be aware of what Manitoba Mine Rescue is and the impact that it has on communities and families. Ultimately, its existence means there is always a fully trained and committed rescue team available when help is needed in the province’s mines and communities.
Effective mine rescue teams are not only critical to a mine’s operation, they also serve as role models to their peers in an industry that relies heavily on a safety-centric culture. The mining industry continues to provide some of the safest jobs in the province of Manitoba.
The intense training and numerous hours Mine Rescue team members put in to continuously sharpen their skills is tested through competitions at both the provincial and national levels. This includes arduous endurance competitions of the teams’ mining emergency response knowledge, firefighting skills, first aid response, use of emergency equipment and decision-making ability under stress.
Manitoba Mine Rescue
Co-Chairs Message
Mine Rescue is the beating heart behind each of Manitoba’s operating mines. This is because our entire mining sector: every worker heading underground; their friends and family members; the many people who live around mining communities; government employees who regulate and inspect mines; Manitoba’s mining executives and management; and our elected representatives can all rely on world class mine rescue teams to be at-the-ready day and night – whenever they are call-upon to serve.
To do this, mine rescuers must be not only be well-trained, experienced, disciplined, precise, strategic, methodical, and organized, they must also be driven, dedicated, confident in their skills, and above all, brave.
Here in Manitoba we have the ability to deploy hundreds of people each day, through kilometres of underground tunnels and a wide range of working conditions because we know we have the best mine rescue teams, functioning at the highest standards in the world, to immediately respond when crisis strikes.
As Co-Chairs of MAMI’s Mine Rescue Committee and Annual Competition, we acknowledge that it’s the responsibility of MAMI to ensure that regulation, safety training, and a proactive and positive mine rescue culture are inherent in each operation to create an environment where mine rescue teams are ideally supported. It is also our privilege to recognize and thank our mine rescue workers, trainers and judges for the training, practice, commitment and work they do each day to keep our men and women – working underground and on the surface – safe.
Richard Trudeau and Stacy Kennedy
Co-Chairs, Manitoba Mine Rescue Committee
National & International Mine Rescue Competitions
National Western Regional Mine Rescue Competition (NWRMRC)
The National Western Regional Mine Rescue Competition (NWRMRC) takes place in Fernie every two years.Provincial and Territorial Surface and Underground Mine Rescue winners from Western Canada Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Yukon and Northwest Territories/Nunavut as well, as the winning surface and underground teams from the Northwestern United States make up the competition. Each team participates in five tasks including first aid, fire and smoke simulation, rope task and a written exam.
International Mine Rescue Competition (IMRC)
Mine rescue is the specialized job of rescuing miners and others who have become trapped or injured and combating fires and other emergencies in underground mines. Mine rescue teams are trained and equipped to deal with a wide range of hazards and situations including fires, explosions, rockfalls, toxic gases, influx of water, and injuries. The International Mines Rescue Competition (IMRC) is a biennial event which facilitates the testing of underground emergency response capability across global mining and Mine Rescue jurisdictions. The competition is overseen by the governing mine rescue body of the host nation or jurisdiction.
John T. Ryan Award
The John T. Ryan regional award is a symbol of premier safety in mining and has been given out since 1941. Trophies are given each year in a number of categories to Canadian mines who have recorded the lowest reportable injury frequency per 200,000 hours worked from the previous year.