By Alan Olson

June 16, 2017 - Area mine rescue workers are sharpening their skills this week at the former West Virginia Penitentiary in Moundsville in what workers say is a very important event for their industry.

Robbie Roberts, fire prevention manager with CNX Coal Resources and president of Tri-State Post No. 6, said the annual Ohio Valley Mine Rescue Contest, in its 36th year, boasts one of the larger such competitions in the nation, with 21 teams gathering in Moundsville.

“These guys, they’re a special breed of miner to go above and beyond what’s required of them to help out their fellow miner,” Roberts said.

The event began Tuesday and concludes today. The contests are designed to drill and prepare rescue workers for events such as roof collapses, fires, explosions and inundation by gas or water in enclosed spaces.

“Fortunately, we haven’t had (emergency) events for quite some time, and to be able to keep their skills and their knowledge, this is very vital,” Roberts said. “You’re required to go to two events a year. In my opinion, you can’t go to enough.”

Randy Clark, captain of the Marshall County Mine rescue team, said while his team attends two events each year, he would be comfortable pushing for more training.

“I personally think we need more of them than what we do,” Clark said. “It’s good training. It models the scenario of a real deal, so you look at different ways to examine things. … Back in the day, we used to do a lot more.”

Of the event itself, Clark said the various scenarios, such as the pre-shift contest, encourage workers to think outside the box and avoid becoming lax in their duties.

“It’s a training exercise of getting to do it, without being under the spotlight of having to do it on the job,” he said. “You can step back and look at it as a whole. Sometimes you get complacent, and then you come here and put a twist on it and you go, ‘I never realized that.'”

Butch Dyer, mine safety manager with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, said the event is a great opportunity for rescue workers from all over the area to come together.

“In Ohio, we’re 100 percent behind mine rescue, and to make sure the training is provided to all teams,” Dyer said. “Doesn’t matter if they’re Ohio teams, or just local teams, or all over the country. The more prepared these guys are, the better off the industry’s going to be. The staff down here does an excellent job.

“This is my second year serving, and more often than not, I was on the other side of the curtain as a worker,” Dyer continued. “Even when (the contest) was held in St. Clairsville, it was great. It’s one of the better contests in the country, always has been. Everybody enjoys coming here, and it’s definitely one of the bigger contests, especially in this part of the country.”

Area mine rescue workers are sharpening their skills this week at the former West Virginia Penitentiary in Moundsville in what workers say is a very important event for their industry.