Education
Education
Montana Tech Hosting Collegiate Mine Rescue Competition
Montana Technological University will host a hands-on mine safety competition during homecoming week on September 24 and 25, 2021. The events will be held at the Montana Tech Underground Mine Education Training Center (UMEC) and the World Museum of Mining in Butte, Montana. Mine Rescues teams from Montana Tech, the Colorado School of Mines, and South Dakota School of Mines will be competing.
A speedy and safe rescue effort can mean the difference between life and death for trapped miners when danger strikes. Adequate training is essential, as rescuers must be available and ready to respond at a moment's notice. Mine rescue contests are designed to sharpen skills and test team members' knowledge who would be called on to respond to a mine emergency. The contest requires team members to solve a hypothetical problem while being timed and observed by judges according to complex rules.
The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) requires all operating mines in the United States to have mine rescue procedures in place should a disaster occur at their operation. Each mine must have a mine rescue station located no more than one hour ground travel time from the mine. The mine operator must also have a responsible person knowledgeable about mine emergency response who has completed an MSHA course of instruction in mine emergency response. Operators of large mines (more than 36 underground employees) must have either an individual mine-site team or a composite team as one of the mine's certified mine rescue teams. Mine rescue team members must complete 96 hours of annual training, including participation in two local mine rescue contests and training at each covered mine. The mine operator must make available two certified mine rescue teams whose members are familiar with the operations of the mine and have participated in two local mine rescue contests. Each team providing coverage to a mine must be knowledgeable about the operation, including ventilation of the mine. Mine operators must certify to the District MSHA Manager that each rescue team designated to provide mine rescue coverage to the mine meets the requirements for certification. These MSHA requirements can be met in different ways. One way is for the mine to have a rescue team of employees trained in first aid and emergency rescue procedures on-site or mutual assistance with other nearby operations. MSHA requires that these mine rescue teams be re-certified every two years to demonstrate competency in meeting MSHA requirements. To meet the recertification requirement, MSHA permits mine rescue teams to compete against each other in rescue competitions that simulate a mine disaster. These competitions are both competitive and popular among the members of the mine rescue teams.
For several years, the Montana Tech Mine Collegiate Rescue team has traveled and participated in collegiate mine rescue competitions against teams from other schools, such as the Colorado School of Mines team. Most recently, in May, they visited Kellogg, Idaho, for the Central Mine Rescue Competition, and in February 2020 the team took first in gas and second in first aid and benching with an overall second-place finish at the Society of Mining Engineers (SME) collegiate competition in Phoenix, Arizona.
"We are looking forward to hosting the very first Mine Rescue Competition on campus," noted Paul Conrad, Professor of Mining Engineering at Montana "Tech and the team's advisor. Participating on a mine rescue team can give a person a great feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment from having helped someone caught in a situation of great potential harm or even potential loss of life."
Along with learning life-saving techniques, competitions provide the opportunity to make life-long relationships. Conrad believes that one of the best parts of the competition is the comradery. "The world may be a big place, but the mining industry is a small part of the world. Students who participate in mine rescue competitions work hard, have fun, and build friendships that will continue throughout their working careers."
A schedule of events is listed below:
Friday, September 24th
9:00 AM – 5:00 PM Mine Rescue Disaster Competition at the World Museum of Mining
10:00 AM Rescue Demonstration at the World Museum of Mining
Saturday, September 25th
8:00 AM - 12:00 PM Mine First Aid Competition at the Montana Tech Underground Mine Education Center
1:00 PM – 4:00 PM Mine Benching Competition at the World Museum of Mining
For more information, please contact Dr. Paul Conrad at pconrad@mtech.edu or call 406-496-4262.
A speedy and safe rescue effort can mean the difference between life and death for trapped miners when danger strikes. Adequate training is essential, as rescuers must be available and ready to respond at a moment's notice. Mine rescue contests are designed to sharpen skills and test team members' knowledge who would be called on to respond to a mine emergency. The contest requires team members to solve a hypothetical problem while being timed and observed by judges according to complex rules.
The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) requires all operating mines in the United States to have mine rescue procedures in place should a disaster occur at their operation. Each mine must have a mine rescue station located no more than one hour ground travel time from the mine. The mine operator must also have a responsible person knowledgeable about mine emergency response who has completed an MSHA course of instruction in mine emergency response. Operators of large mines (more than 36 underground employees) must have either an individual mine-site team or a composite team as one of the mine's certified mine rescue teams. Mine rescue team members must complete 96 hours of annual training, including participation in two local mine rescue contests and training at each covered mine. The mine operator must make available two certified mine rescue teams whose members are familiar with the operations of the mine and have participated in two local mine rescue contests. Each team providing coverage to a mine must be knowledgeable about the operation, including ventilation of the mine. Mine operators must certify to the District MSHA Manager that each rescue team designated to provide mine rescue coverage to the mine meets the requirements for certification. These MSHA requirements can be met in different ways. One way is for the mine to have a rescue team of employees trained in first aid and emergency rescue procedures on-site or mutual assistance with other nearby operations. MSHA requires that these mine rescue teams be re-certified every two years to demonstrate competency in meeting MSHA requirements. To meet the recertification requirement, MSHA permits mine rescue teams to compete against each other in rescue competitions that simulate a mine disaster. These competitions are both competitive and popular among the members of the mine rescue teams.
For several years, the Montana Tech Mine Collegiate Rescue team has traveled and participated in collegiate mine rescue competitions against teams from other schools, such as the Colorado School of Mines team. Most recently, in May, they visited Kellogg, Idaho, for the Central Mine Rescue Competition, and in February 2020 the team took first in gas and second in first aid and benching with an overall second-place finish at the Society of Mining Engineers (SME) collegiate competition in Phoenix, Arizona.
"We are looking forward to hosting the very first Mine Rescue Competition on campus," noted Paul Conrad, Professor of Mining Engineering at Montana "Tech and the team's advisor. Participating on a mine rescue team can give a person a great feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment from having helped someone caught in a situation of great potential harm or even potential loss of life."
Along with learning life-saving techniques, competitions provide the opportunity to make life-long relationships. Conrad believes that one of the best parts of the competition is the comradery. "The world may be a big place, but the mining industry is a small part of the world. Students who participate in mine rescue competitions work hard, have fun, and build friendships that will continue throughout their working careers."
A schedule of events is listed below:
Friday, September 24th
9:00 AM – 5:00 PM Mine Rescue Disaster Competition at the World Museum of Mining
10:00 AM Rescue Demonstration at the World Museum of Mining
Saturday, September 25th
8:00 AM - 12:00 PM Mine First Aid Competition at the Montana Tech Underground Mine Education Center
1:00 PM – 4:00 PM Mine Benching Competition at the World Museum of Mining
For more information, please contact Dr. Paul Conrad at pconrad@mtech.edu or call 406-496-4262.
