Lexington, Ky. – Leading experts from the nation’s coal mining community put their skills to the test at the 2015 National Coal Mine Rescue, First Aid, Bench and Preshift Competition held Sept. 14-17 at the Lexington Convention Center in Lexington, Ky.
The 2015 competition featured 65 teams with approximately 600 people participating in competitions to test the effectiveness of their team training regimes and to ensure their readiness in the event they are called upon to aid in the rescue of their colleagues.
The competition is sponsored by the National Mining Association (NMA) and judged by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration. The four-day competition included team and individual competitions. Started in 1910 by the U.S. Bureau of Mines, it is the largest national competition of its kind.
“Until a day when serious mining accidents are problems of the past, we will be meeting like this—honoring your selfless dedication that has been on impressive display this week,” NMA President and CEO Hal Quinn told the audience at Thursday’s award ceremony.
Quinn recognized competition winners at the ceremony that officially concluded the mining rescue competition. Also taking part in the ceremony was Joe Main, assistant secretary of labor for mine safety and health.
Along with the competition, exhibits of equipment essential to mining safety were on display during the event. One highlight was the exhibit for NMA’s CORESafety® program, a systems approach to mine safety that was launched in 2011. More than two-thirds of NMA member companies have now signed on as active participants.
Below is a list of the winners of the 2015 Coal Mine Rescue Competition:
Mine Rescue Competition
First Place
Alpha Natural Resources
Southern West Virginia Team
Second Place
Arch Coal, Inc.
Lone Mountain Processing, Inc.
Lone Mountain Team
Third Place
Arch Coal, Inc.
Beckley Complex
Beckley Gold Team
Mine Rescue Day One
Drummond Company Inc.
Shoal Creek Red Team
Mine Rescue Day Two
Alpha Natural Resources
Southern West Virginia Team
Combination (Mine Rescue and First Aid)
First Place
Mine Rescue Services LLC
Southeast KY Team
Second Place
Walter Energy
JWR Blue Creek Team
Third Place
Arch Coal, Inc.
Sentinel Complex Mine Rescue Team
First Aid
First Place
Cliffs Natural Resources – Oak Grove Resources LLC
Oak Grove Blue Team
Second Place
Walter Energy
JWR Team #4
Third Place
Walter Energy
JWR Blue Creek Team
Bench – BG4
First Place
Tony Lloyd
Revelation Energy, LLC
Second Place
Duke Rich
Blue Mountain Energy, Inc.
Deserado Black Team
Third Place
Gary Valusek, Jr.
Alpha Natural Resources
Cumberland RD Team
Bench — 240R
Bench 240R Awards
First Place
Taber Tichenor
KY Coal Academy
MCC Team
Second Place
Barry Rowe
Arch Coal, Inc.
Viper Red Team
Third Place
Matt Garner
White Count Coal
Pattiki Mine Rescue Team
Preshift
First Place
Jeff Clark
Alliance Coal Co. – Warrior Coal LLC
Cardinal Team
Second Place
Jason Grasha
Alpha Natural Resources
Cumberland JC Team
Third Place
Mike Moore
Excel Mining LLC
Excel Mine Rescue Team