Ontario Mine Rescue is the program that creates, oversees and evaluates mine rescue training and standards in the province of Ontario.[1] The Ontario Mine Rescue program is administered by Workplace Safety North, part of the prevention arm of the Ontario Ministry of Labour.[2]
Ontario Mine Rescue was born out of the tragedy of the Hollinger Mine fire that claimed the lives of 39 miners in Timmins in 1928. Neither the mine, the town or even the province had the expertise or the resources to respond to save their lives or adequately fight the fire. Mine rescue teams from Pittsburgh had to be called in to extinguish the fire, while recovery operations were left to local mine management. The resulting provincial royal commission recommended the creation of an Ontario Mine Rescue organization under the Department of Mines to respond to underground mine fires.[3]
The 1947 East Malartic Fire marked a major turning point for Ontario Mine Rescue as teams from Timmins, Kirkland Lake and Sudbury responded to a call to help fight a mine fire in Malartic, Quebec. It was the first and only time Ontario Mine Rescue teams responded to an out-of-province emergency. While working together, it became evident each district had different training and maintenance standards. As a result, the position of Senior Mine Rescue Officer was created to ensure province-wide standards in mine rescue training and equipment maintenance were established and maintained.[4]
In 1965, another mine fire in Timmins, this one at the McIntyre Mine, forced the organization to make another change. The underground distance rescue teams had to travel to reach the fire was so great that the two-hour McCaa apparatus was not sufficient to allow them time to fight the fire. In 1966, after investigating and testing different apparatus, the BG174 was purchased to allow for a four-hour capability. The BG174 proved a workhorse for almost 40 years before it was replaced by the BG4.[4]
Ontario Mine Rescue took on added responsibility in 1984 after four miners were trapped and killed in a rockburst at Falconbridge No. 5 Shaft near Sudbury. The Stevenson Commission recommended that the organization's mandate be expanded to conduct training in and respond to non-fire emergencies. Training on non-fire rescue equipment began shortly after.[4]
In January 2001, responsibility for Ontario Mine Rescue was transferred to the Mines and Aggregates Safety and Health Association, now a part of Workplace Safety North (WSN). The program changed from usage of the Draeger BG174 to the Drager BG4 self-contained breathing apparatus. Standardized competency based training programs were developed to ensure consistent delivery of information to mine rescue teams across the province.
Delaware Station
1988 - Present
Wawa Station
2016 - Present
Kirkland Lake Station
1931 - Present
Onaping Station
1968 - Present
Red Lake Station
1948 - Present
Sudbury Station
1932 - Present
Thunder Bay Station
1982 - 1987
2006 - Present
Timmins Station
1930 - Present
When mining activity ceases in thea jurisdiction, some stations that had been established for emergency response capability were closed or relocated.
1953 - 1992[4]
1958 - 1998[4]
1946 - 1977[4]
1977 - 1982[4]
1987 - 2005
| Year | Annual Competition | Provincial Champions | District | Runner Up | Location | Arena / Venue | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 57th | Timmins District | Inco Ltd. - Sudbury West Mines | Archie Dillon Sportsplex Arena | ||||
| 58th | CVRD Inco - Sudbury East Mines | Sudbury District | N / A | ||||
| 59th | Xstrata Nickel - Fraser / TL Mines | Onaping District | Vale Inco - East Mines | Fecunis Mine | |||
| 60th | Vale Inco - Sudbury East Mines | Sudbury District | Windsor Expo Centre[5] | ||||
| 61st | Timmins District | Barrick Hemlo - Williams Mine | Timmins Underground Gold Mine Tour[6] | ||||
| 62nd | Vale - Sudbury West Mines | Sudbury District | Barrick Hemlo - Williams Mine | ||||
| 63rd | Barrick Hemlo - Williams Mine | Thunder Bay & Algoma District | Kirkland Lake Gold - Macassa Mine | Vale - Copper Cliff South Mine | |||
| 64th | Glencore - Kidd Operations[7] | Timmins District | Glencore - Sudbury Integrated Nickel Operations | South Windsor Recreation Complex | |||
| 65th | Vale - Sudbury East Mines[8] | Sudbury District | Compass Minerals - Goderich Mine | Goldcorp PGM - Dome Mine | |||
| 66th | Vale - Sudbury West Mines | Sudbury District | AuRico Gold - Young-Davidson Mine | Fort Williams Gardens Arena[9] [10] | |||
| 67th | Compass Minerals - Goderich Mine | Southern District | Fecunis Mine | ||||
| 68th | Goldcorp Musselwhite Mine[11] | Red Lake District | Compass Minerals Goderich Mine | ||||
| 69th | Tahoe Canada - Timmins West & Bell Creek Mines[12] | Timmins District | Vale - Sudbury East Mines | Alamos Gold Young-Davidson Mine | |||
| 70th | K+S Windsor Salt Ojibway Mine[13] | Southern District | Newmont - Porcupine Gold Mines | Red Lake Gold Mines |
Ontario Mine Rescue hosted the 10th International Mines Rescue Competition (IMRC 2016) in Sudbury, Ontario.[14] [15] The competition is held every two years[16] by the governing mine rescue body of the host nation or jurisdiction. The 2016 event marked the first time the competition was held in Canada.