It’s essential for mine rescue teams to be prepared in case of an emergency.
And this week, they got the chance to test their readiness and skills during the National Mine Rescue Association Post 5 Mine Rescue Contest at Mylan Park in Morgantown. It was held July 30-Aug. 1.
“The whole idea is to provide adequate hands-on training to all the mine rescue organizations that come here,” said Josh Brady, president of Post 5. “What we do is provide a mock mine disaster.”
Brady described the scenario that’s portrayed in the mock disaster.
“You end up putting missing persons or injured individuals in a mine that has exploded, caught fire, has major ventilation issues, and their (the competitors) job is to find all the hazardous conditions, make them safe and then administer the proper first aid and rescue the individuals that we’ve put in the mine,” he said.