Students rappelled 20 metres deep into the mine shaft at Dynamic Earth this week to respond to a mock seismic event and receive hands-on training on the nuances of mining safety.
The Intercollegiate Mine Emergency Response Competition saw approximately 80 students from eight post-secondary institutions in Canada and the United States participate in these and other scenarios.
The Laurentian University Mine Rescue team ended the week as the competition’s overall champions, followed by West Virginia University in second and Colorado School of Mines in third.
At Dynamic Earth on Feb. 19, Sudbury.com watched teams from Laurentian University and Colorado School of Mines rappel using an Arizona vortex device to lower them down the mine shaft.
They were told a seismic event had taken place, the cage/elevator wasn’t operational and they needed to get down.
Although speed plays a factor in how they’re graded, they’re primarily scored on safety, Ontario Mine Rescue chief mine rescue officer Shawn Rideout.
“It’s more about teaching and the students learning, so there is a scoring process because they want to have an ultimate winner and be able to evaluate, but for the most part we’re using it as a teaching opportunity,” he said. “These people aren’t first responders, they’re not responding to emergencies, but they’re learning what that process entails.”
Most of the 80 participants are mining engineering students, with recent LU graduate Quinn Roos serving as a chief organizer.
He didn’t participate due to having inside knowledge on the competition itself, with Roos serving this inside role so LU students could still participate.
Organizers took keeping the nuances of competition secret seriously throughout the three-day competition, requesting that journalists not publish any photos of the competition until it wrapped up by Friday night.
Laurentian University’s seven-member team was made up of mechanical and mining engineering students, plus Outdoor Venture Leadership students.
Although the LU Mine Rescue team is open to all students, Roos said they mainly focus on people likely to work in mines upon graduation.
The annual competition typically shifts between the Colorado School of Mines and the University of British Columbia each year, and this was the first time it’s been hosted in Sudbury.
The local competition saw LU partner with Ontario Mine Rescue to help map out each scenario, which took place at the Ontario Mine Rescue building in downtown Sudbury and Dynamic Earth.
“It’s really a good chance for us to learn different ways of doing things,” Roos said. “It’s more of a learning experience, and the competition makes it more fun for students, makes them want to try harder and work for it.”
After joining his teammates in rappelling down the Dynamic Earth mine shaft on Feb. 19, Colorado School of Mines James Verheyden said the event has helped diversify his understanding of mine safety measures.
Regulations and mining practices differ between the United States and Canada, the mechanical engineering student said, and it’s useful to learn more about the field he’s entering.
“This entire event has been such an amazing experience, getting to apply hands-on mine rescue training and knowledge in real-world applications,” he said. “It’s been such an exciting time working with the people at Ontario Mine Rescue, to go through and work on how they tackle problems and see new techniques and tools available.”
Rideout said teaching students the nuances of mining safety early on helps in the long run, even among those who don’t necessarily end up working underground themselves.
“The bulk of what they’re learning is how to design, build and run a mine,” he said of mining engineering students. “What the intercollegiate competition does is teach them that aspect of emergency response, so when something bad happens in a mine they’re prepared and know how to respond to that emergency.”
The following are the results of this week’s competition:
Participating teams:
Colorado School of Mines (CSM)
Laurentian University Mine Rescue (LUMR)
West Virginia University (WVU)
University of Alberta
University of British Columbia #1 (UBC #1)
University of British Colombia #2 (UBC #2)
Montana Tech
University of Arizona
Queen’s University
Technician Competition
3 – LUMR – Martin Brunet
2 – LUMR – Calvin Rapin
1 – CSM – Nick Ekedhl
Confined Space Challenge:
3 – UBC 2
2 – Alberta
1 – WVU
First Aid Mass Casualty Incident:
3 – CSM
2 – LUMR
1 – UBC 1
Rope Rescue Challenge:
3 – WVU
2 – Queen’s
1 – CSM
Underground Challenge:
3 – CSM
2 – LUMR
1 – Queen’s
Overall Winners:
3 – CSM
2 – WVU
1 – LUMR
Tyler Clarke covers city hall and political affairs for Sudbury.com.
