Eight mine rescue teams from across the province will compete for top honours during the Ontario Mine Rescue provincial competition this June.
Teams from Ontario’s eight districts competed in regional competitions May 7-9, with one winner declared in each district.
The annual event presents mine rescue volunteers with a mock scenario that tests their knowledge and skills, to prepare them in the event of a mining-related emergency.
“Even if we’re prepared for any emergency, the least ideal solution could be the only one available,” Shawn Rideout, chief mine rescue officer at Workplace Safety North, said in a news release.
“Paying attention to your surroundings, problem-solving under pressure, and adapting as the situation unfolds is critical in mine rescue work.”
This year, teams were tasked with rescuing someone trapped in a vehicle, putting out a fire, and dealing with a fuel spill, all while contending with malfunctioning equipment. Team members had to troubleshoot and find creative solutions to solve problems and retrieve casualties.
The finalists moving on to the provincial competition are:
Algoma District: Alamos – Island Gold
Captain Jessy Dechamplain
#2 Thomas Brand
#3 Veronique Humphries
#4 Cody Lessard
Vice-Captain Daniel Webb
#6 Dave Ouellet
#7 Jake Brousseau
Briefing Officer (B.O.) Justin Krueger
Winning technician: Kyle Ouellet – Alamos
Sudbury District: Vale – East Mines
Captain Kordell Hull
#2 Jason Cook
#3 Jeremy Faulkner
#4 Tyler Eady
Vice-Captain Mario Ceccon
#6 Will Langois
#7 Adam Widder
B.O. Shawn St. Louis
Winning technician: Nick Fram – Vale West
Onaping District: Glencore – Sudbury Integrated Nickel Operations
Captain Julien Lalande
#2 Aaron Boutet
#3 Neil Poulin
#4 Patrick Legris
Vice-Captain Shawn O'Brien
#6 Steven Hrycay
#7 Mario Seguin
B.O. Bleir Millions
Winning technician: Daniel Rioux - Glencore
Thunder Bay District: New Gold Inc. – Rainy River Mine
Captain Hannah Marcotte
#2 Mackenzie Mahon
#3 Mitchell Hearn
#4 Tyler Roy
Vice Captain Tyler Venerus
#6 Chris Matechuk
B.O. Justin Borger
Winning technician: Jarid Sandelovich – New Gold Inc.
Red Lake District: Orla Mining – Musselwhite Mine
Captain Alexa Dumaine
#2 Matt Arges
#3 Frank Nepveu
#4 Kiyoshi Brayshaw
Vice-Captain Kevin Ireland
#6 Jimmy Sinclair
#7 Riley Bennett
B.O. Steve Uchtenhagen
Winning technician: Gabriel Roy – Orla Mining
Timmins District: Glencore – Kidd Operations
Captain Clint Scripnick
#2 Gilles Paradis
#3 Michael Murphy
#4 Matthew Richards
Vice-Captain Randy Gagnon
#6 Reid Murray
B.O. James Comeau
Winning technician: Dominic Gervais – Lake Shore Gold-Panamerican Silver
Kirkland Lake District: Agnico Eagle – Macassa Mine
Captain Jackson Lafrance
#2 Nick Perrier
#3 Denis Dion
#4 Colin Price
Vice-Captain Jean-Francois Racine
#6 Carlie Dewar
#7 Alex Perrault
B.O. April Belecque
Winning technician: Caolan Browne – Agnico Eagle
Southern District: Compass Minerals – Goderich Mine
Captain David Kelly
#2 Joel Paquette
# 3 Marshall Jeffery
#4 Chris Sallows
Vice-Captain Cody Lobb
#6 Kyle Ropp
#7 Aaron Duckworth
B.O. Ken Nguyen
Winning technician: Dennis Hogan – Compass Minerals
The provincial championships will take place June 3-5 at Glencore Kidd Operations in Timmins, where one team will be declared the overall winner.
