Competition Season Set to Launch

Issue #29 Spring 2016 Competition season set to launch Three events to keep attention focused on mine rescue his year promises to be a long competition season for at least one Ontario Mine Rescue team, and Tanyone interested in mine rescue. With training already underway for the district competitions – May 11 to 13 across the province (for details see Page 2) – for the team that represents Ontario Mine Rescue in the 10th International Mines Rescue Competition, August 19 to 26 in Sudbury, the season will end with that event. While the winner of the Ontario Mine Rescue Provincial Competition, June 9 and 10, is guaranteed entry into IMRC 2016 – Canada, hosted by Workplace Safety North’s Ontario Mine Rescue, five Ontario teams have applied and are currently on the waiting list for admission to the event. Sixteen mine rescue teams from nine countries have applied and been accepted as of May 3 for the 30-team competition. Four positions are reserved for the winners of four major Canadian regional mine rescue competitions, such as the Ontario Mine Rescue Provincial Competition. Two other Canadian teams, from Manitoba and Saskatchewan, are also on the waiting list. Canadian admission is currently limited to allow as many international teams as possible to participate. Visit www.IMRC2016.ca for an up-to-date list of accepted teams and the waiting list. IMRC 2016 Planning Co-ordinator and Secretary General of the International Mines Rescue Body, Alex Gyska says more international teams are expected to register. See “MORE” Page 2 Welcome to Taylor Substation ntario’s newest mine rescue “It’s compact but the layout works well.” volunteer and captain of the company’s substation at the province’s Plans called for a substation to 2015 competition team. Of the dozen St. Onewest commercial mining become operational at the mine about Andrew employees there early last year, he operation – Kirkland Lake Gold’s Taylor the same time that Taylor shifted from was the only active mine rescue volunteer. Mine, near Matheson – is open for business. the development stage into commercial “It was just a couple of Dumas “A lot of people are impressed with production, says Thompson, who employees and I who were active during it,” says the mine’s senior geologist transferred to Taylor from St. Andrew that time.” Dumas Mining was contracted Alex Thompson, who took on the task Goldfields’ (now Kirkland Lake Gold) to develop the site, with St. Andrew’s own of turning an approximately 60 by 15 Holt-Holloway operations in August 2014. workforce slated to take over in September foot, well-used ATCO trailer into a fully “2015 was a ramping up year for Taylor,” 2015. operational and equipped substation. says Thompson, a four-year mine rescue See “TRAINING” Page 3 P.O. Box 2050, Stn. Main We need you! 690 McKeown Ave. If you have comments about the newsletter, or suggestions for future North Bay, ON P1B 9P1 articles, please contact Ken Sitter PH: (705) 474-7233 at WSN, (705) 474-7233 ext. 234, or [email protected] FAX: (705) 472-5800 www.workplacesafetynorth.ca Pg 2 Dynamic display Please touch! An assortment of Ontario Mine Rescue equipment – BG4 breathing apparatus, SSR90, CAREvent, eDraulic splitter, iBRID MX6 gas monitor, GripTech Rope Rescue System and more – is currently on display at Sudbury’s Dynamic Earth (Science North). More international teams to come Continued from Page 1 competition is to participate as judges or as Several countries have been in contact, volunteers. Competition and at least one plans to enter multiple Though IMRC 2016 will be the teams, he says. first international competition with Calendar “In terms of team registration, we’re international judging, the majority way ahead of previous (international) of judges will be from Ontario. May 11, 12, 13 competitions,” Gryska says. Approximately two-thirds of the more District Competitions than 80 applicants to be judges are from Seven of the 13 countries that attended Southern District - the last IMRC in Ontario, most are current volunteers. Goderich Memorial Arena, Goderich Poland, have yet For non-participants, all three levels Sudbury & Onaping districts - to register and of competition – district, provincial and Jim Coady Memorial Arena, Levack most have been in international – are open to the public. contact. Organizers Thunder Bay/Algoma & Red Lake This year’s provincial competition will be are anticipating the districts - Delaney Arena, Thunder Bay held at NORCAT’s Underground Centre, largest international Timmins & Kirkland Lake districts - competition to date. the former Fecunis Mine, in Onaping, northwest of Sudbury. As in recent Archie Dillon Sportsplex, Timmins Whether there competitions, the underground activities will be room for will be streamed to viewers on surface. June 9, 10 Canadian and Ontario teams that are on Provincial Competition the waiting list remains to be seen, Gryska Spectators will also be able to view the says. IMRC 2016’s underground emergency NORCAT Underground Centre, Sudbury The safest, though not necessarily the scenario at Vale’s 114 Orebody near Copper Cliff Mine on video, a first for an easiest, way for an Ontario team to secure August 19-26 an entry into the international competition, international competition. is to win the provincial competition, says The remaining venues for the first International Mines Ted Hanley, Ontario Mine Rescue General aid, firefighting, high angle rope rescue, Rescue Competition Manager. and technician events have not yet been Sudbury An alternate route for Ontario mine announced, but will also be open to the (See www.IMRC2016.ca for details) rescuers to be involved in the international public. www.workplacesafetynorth.ca/minerescue www.facebook.com/OntarioMineRescue www.linkedin.com/company/Ontario-Mine-Rescue Pg 3 Training underway at new substation Continued from Page 1 When talk turned to establishing a substation last June, “I took it upon myself to get things rolling,” he says. “It was a bit of an undertaking, but I had a lot of support from our management and Ontario Mine Rescue.” While many established mines have dedicated space in a permanent structure for a mine rescue substation, “we were not at the stage where new infrastructure was planned,” he says, “so it was a case of using what we had on hand on site.” That was the ATCO trailer. “I incorporated the important elements from the various substations I have seen,” says Thompson, whose task began with designing the facility. Assistance provided by Shawn Rideout, the Chief Mine Rescue Officer, and Danny Taillefer, the Timmins District Mine Rescue Officer, was invaluable, he says. They provided additional examples and pictures of how substations were set up elsewhere, and ideas to better use the limited area. “It’s a fairly small space, so we needed to optimize storage and use.” Once Thompson completed the design, renovating the trailer took about three weeks and was completed by the site carpenter. The old flooring was stripped out, as was the wood paneling on the walls. Electrical and communications lines were rewired; laminate flooring was installed, as were the myriad of storage, sinks and other features required for equipment and supplies. Stocking the substation, however, took substantially longer. Rideout and Taillefer provided lists not only of required mine rescue equipment, but of tools required to service the mine rescue equipment, and of additional equipment that would prove helpful. Alex Thompson Though help will not be far away once mutual aid agreements are in place – Taylor is about 25 kilometres from Primero Mining’s Black Fox Mine, and 50 kilometres from Goldcorp Inc.’s Hoyle Pond, based on the response time of the district Mine Rescue Officer, the new substation had to be equipped with 11 BG4s. “There were ordering and procurement processes, as well as time and budgetary constraints,” says Thompson, noting the process took several months. “It was a little bit time consuming on that part of things, but we got it done on time.” Taylor now has about 80 workers, including about a dozen who have recently been mine rescue trained. A regular training session at Taylor for all Timmins mine rescue volunteers began in earnest in early February, as did an informal evaluation of the substation. Reaction has been positive so far, but “we know there are some things that will need to be addressed or worked on,” Thompson says. Portal access, for example, is one consideration, because the entrance is roughly one kilometre by road from the substation. “We are working toward a dedicated transportation solution for moving teams to and from the substation,” he says, and other concerns may be identified as the mine conducts test runs of its mine rescue response plan. As with all emergency response preparation, he says, “it’s a work in progress, but will ultimately ensure the quickest and safest response to virtually any mine emergency.” www.workplacesafetynorth.ca/minerescue www.facebook.com/OntarioMineRescue www.linkedin.com/company/Ontario-Mine-Rescue Pg 4 LOUD AND CLEAR? – Acting Captain Pete Kohnert presses the transmit button to update the briefing officer on team status during a recent training session at Compass Minerals’ Goderich Mine. Volunteers evaluate durability, performance New Draeger products “It definitely felt easier breathing,” and communications with the team was easier, put to mine rescue test said Pete Kohnert, a 20-year veteran mine Mine rescue volunteers in Southern and rescue volunteer at Compass Minerals’ Kirkland Lake districts gave two Draeger Goderich Mine, following a training FPS 7000 facemask units with FPS COM session with the units. communication module attachments a “It should be really helpful in smoke and thorough product evaluation – smoke; noisy conditions,” Kohnert said. foam; salt; heat; humidity . and the Voices seemed clearer and more The facemask and communication module substation sink.

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