Dräger was proud to be the title sponsor of the inaugural Canadian International Student Mine Rescue Competition. The event, which was hosted by the University of British Columbia, took place on February 2020 in Vancouver.
Teams from UBC, the University of Alberta, Laurentian University and the Colorado School of Mines competed in a series of challenges, each designed to test their mine rescue abilities.
including underground simulation
“Students get an overview of the whole process: what’s involved in mine rescue, setting up rescue teams and training operation. We believe it’s an important part of their learning,” explains Kent Armstrong, global business development manager at Dräger Safety.
Teams were also evaluated on their aptitude for assembling Dräger’s PSS BG 4 Plus breathing apparatus
The challenges included an underground obstacle and recovery, triad first aid, firefighting techniques and a written exam. Teams were also evaluated on their aptitude for assembling Dräger’s PSS BG 4 Plus breathing apparatus. Dräger provided support staff and equipment, including an underground simulation with a demo refuge chamber and a fire simulation with a live fire training system.
Mine Rescue Competition Results
The competition results are as follows:
- Overall Score:
- 1st Place: UBC
- 2nd Place: Colorado School of Mines
- Written Exam:
- 1st Place: UBC
- 2nd Place: Laurentian University
- First Aid:
- 1st Place: UBC
- 2nd Place: Colorado School of Mines
- Fire:
- 1st Place: UBC
- 2nd Place: University of Alberta
- Underground Challenge:
- 1st Place: Laurentian University
- 2nd Place: Colorado School of Mines
- BG4 Bench Technician:
- 1st Place: Dan Hagn, UBC
- 2nd Place: Jarrett McGahey, Laurentian University
Hands-On learning opportunity
The competition was created and developed by Jill Newell, Jaime Abels and Harm Sangra, fourth-year engineering students at UBC who have previously competed in international student mine rescue competitions. Dräger was one of the first places they turned for support. “Without Dräger, we wouldn’t have a competition,” says Newell.
Ultimately, the competition provided a unique, hands-on learning opportunity for the future generation of mining engineers. “It’s an asset for them to have this information and experience,” says Armstrong, who hopes more mining companies will participate in the future. “For us, it’s about helping them move forward in their mining engineering careers,” he adds.