ROCHESTER — Last week American Rock Salt had two teams participate in a mining rescue competition where they test each others skills and techniques against other mine rescue teams from across the nation in an effort to become as efficient as possible when it comes to mining accidents.
The competition isn’t just about winning it’s also about sharing new techniques and ultimately the miners safety.
“We take a lot of pride in our mine rescue team, you have to have it for a mine to operate. If anything does happen we are fully confident we can take care of an underground emergency,” said Joe Farruggia, one of the team captains. “The competition is also a way in which we network and share information with the other mines, at the end of the day this is all about miner safety.”
The event was hosted by the Radisson Hotel in Rochester and included field exercises and different techniques the miners use to extricate trapped or injured miners.
“It’s very reassuring to know we have these highly trained specialized guys that can handle, god forbid, any accident down the road,” said Joe Bucci Jr., environmental manager. “They performed absolutely outstanding.”
Five mines from the United States competed in the event including coal and heavy stone specially mines.
According to Bucci the last time the team was dispatched was over five years ago when they had an underground fire incident in which no one was injured.
Congratulations to Team Pride and Team Patiot for their 2nd and 5th Place finishes.
The following members participated in the competition: Justin Kaufman, Mike Smith, Greg Tucker, Bill O’Dell, Pat Moore, Tim Muscarella, Mike Gabbard, Steve Haight, Jeff Baker, Eric Baker, Rob Scheidt, Camden Yull, Joe Farruggia and Brendon Moran.