June 3, 2017 - Wellmore Coal Co.’s Red Team took top honors in last week's 31st annual Governor’s Cup Mine Rescue and Safety Contest, held on the campus of the University of Virginia’s College at Wise.

The event was co-hosted by the Virginia Coal & Energy Alliance (VCEA), the Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals & Energy (DMME) and the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA).

Teams competed to conduct rescue and recovery operations in staged mine disaster scenarios laid out in the UVa-Wise David J. Prior Convocation Center. Team members wore full rescue gear including breathing devices to determine mine conditions, construct ventilation controls and locate and extract “victims.”

Teams were judged on thoroughness in recording mine conditions on a map as they advanced into the mock mine and on their ability to identify and respond to hazards that could endanger the team and/or trapped miners.

“This competition is so much more than a test of lifesaving skills,” said Virginia Mine Chief Randy Moore.

“This is an opportunity for camaraderie among Virginia’s mine rescue teams and a chance for them to learn from one another. Should an emergency occur, they would all be working side by side. Knowing the faces of those with you in an emergency can make a difficult situation better.”

Also earning honors in other categories were the Contura Energy Paramont Contura Team, Alpha Natural Resources Southern West Virginia Team, Revelation Energy’s BG-4 Tim Turner and Wellmore’s BIO-PAK Shannon Moore, pre-shift first place William Carroll of Wellmore Coal and pre-shift second place Contura Energy’s Casey Mooneyhan.

Other teams in the competition included Arch Coal Lone Mountain Processing Inc., Buchanan Minerals, LLC Red and Black Teams, Revelation Energy, ANR, and Virginia Small Operators MRT No. 1. 

Wellmore Coal Co.'s Red Team with trophy and contest officials.

Photo Courtesy of DMME