The Emergency Response Mine Rescue Skills Competition is described as one of the highlights for Saskatchewan Mining Week each year, an opportunity for employees of Saskatchewan’s mining companies to come together and demonstrate their abilities in a variety of disciplines.
Several employees for the Westmoreland Mining Holdings LLC’s Estevan mines are among the dedicated entrants preparing for the competition, which will happen June 1 at Prairieland Park in Saskatoon. The local mines will be entered in the surface mining division.
Team members have been practising every weekday since May 13. The exception was Victoria Day.
Brandon Schopp is the team’s captain, and has been part of the team for about 6 1/2 years. He said he took an interest in the team when he first heard about it after he was hired to work at the mines.
Meanwhile, vice-captain Jessica Klarholm, who is a six-year member of the team, added that the skills she learned are not only valuable on the job, but in her home life as well.
“I enjoy having a team so that when I go to work, I know we’re all safe,” she said.
Since daily practices began, they have been working on firefighting, surface issues, high angle rope rescues with ropes and embankments, gas detection and basic first aid, along with a variety of scenarios, such as motor vehicle accidents and falls.
“We have a good group, and everybody’s trained hard, so we’ll go out there and do our best,” said Schopp.
Team members have also been working on their communication.
This week they have been brushing up on their skills. They will travel to Saskatoon for the competition on May 31.
The competition is a high-stress, high-pressure environment, Klarholm said, as a lot of things are thrown at participants really quickly.
“Every team is always excellent, and that is the way we like it,” said Klarholm. “We know we’re competing with the best, and it makes us be better, and we know if we win, we know we won at a really high standard.”
The practices have been going well. They have two rookies on the team this year in Josiah Anderson and Tyler Ursu, and they have been catching on quickly.
Aside from Schopp and Klarholm, the returning members are Derek Chom, Lonnie Rooks, Matt Procyshyn and Brie McClement, and Schopp said they have been great as well.
“I’ve competed for about five years now, and every year it’s something different, so the experience will be really helpful,” said Schopp.
Klarholm believes that experience will pay off, because they understand what the other members of the team have to do.
“You can plan ahead for them, and it just works way better when everybody knows everybody else’s position,” she said.
Guy Hiltz is the safety manager for Westmoreland’s Estevan mines, and has been supervising the team.
In addition to the three weeks of daily practices prior to the competition, the team meets once a month for practices.
Schopp and Klarholm maintain being part of the team carries benefits beyond just the skills they learn. There’s also the camaraderie associated with being on the team.
“It’s a great group of people, and there’s lots to learn from them,” said Schopp. “Everybody has similar interests and the training is really fun.”
The team members are like a second family, she said.
“It’s just really something you look forward to. It’s really nice to know the people at work, because we’re not actually on the same shift, so I wouldn’t know these people outside of this.”
