Annual competitions allow volunteer mine rescuers to hone their skills and get a hint of the reality for the health and safety challenges in mining operations Ontario's annual mine rescue district competition events will soon be taking place in each of the seven mining districts across Ontario. The district competitions will test the skills and readiness of volunteer mine rescuers who work at mining operations throughout the province. The competitions will present identical mock emergency scenarios in each of the mining districts where teams of mine rescuers, representing various mining companies, will be tested on how well they respond to the emergencies. All mine rescuers must complete a written evaluation before taking part in the emergency scenario where they put their first aid, firefighting, teamwork, and emergency equipment skills to the test. The mock emergencies usually involve travelling to an underground scene that might involve a fire, a vehicle crash, unstable ground conditions and seriously injured miners. The mine rescuers are judged on their ability to assess the scene, to resolve the emergency and to treat and transport the casualties. "Not only are the competitions a learning opportunity for mine rescuers, but they help OMR (Ontario Mine Rescue) ensure volunteers from each mine are meeting the same standards, said a news release from Workplace Safety North. The competitions will be taking place on May 7 and 8 in each district. In Sudbury, mine rescuers from Sudbury District and Onaping District will compete at the Dr. Edgar Leclair Arena, in Azilda; May 7 for Sudbury teams; May 8 for Onaping teams. Competitions for the Red Lake and Thunder Bay districts will be held at the Memorial Sports Centre in the Town of Fort Frances; May 7 for the Thunder Bay teams and May 8 for the Red Lake teams. Timmins and Kirkland Lake mine rescuers will compete at the Archie Dillon Sportsplex in Timmins, with the Timmins teams competing on May 7 and the Kirkland Lake teams competing on May 8. Algoma District mine rescuers will compete at the Michipicoten Memorial Community Centre in Wawa on May 7 and 8. Mine rescuers from the Southern District will compete at the Easlink Arena in Clinton, Ontario on May 7 and 8. The winning teams from each of the district competitions will compete for the all-Ontario bragging rights at the provincial competition to be held in June. “Every year we aim to create a scenario that is as realistic as possible,” said Shawn Rideout, Ontario's Chief Mine Rescue Officer at Workplace Safety North in Sudbury. “It’s a window into the intense emergencies volunteers will see on the mine site, and we use their competition performance to improve how they make critical decisions under stress.” While firefighting and first aid training are staples of mine rescue, volunteers also receive rope rescue, auto extrication, structural collapse and equipment maintenance training. However, the problems competitors will face remains a secret until they’re on the competition floor – which maintains a fair playing field when comparing their real-time decision-making and adaptability, said the news release.