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The Gahcho Kué Mine Rescue Team has won the regional surface mine rescue competition for the second year in a row, fiercely defending the title against competitors from the Northwest Territories, Nunavut and Ontario. The NWT/NU Mine Rescue Competition was held in Yellowknife on June 1-2 and is the 61st annual event.
Gahcho Kué captured the difficult Surface Obstacle, Surface Rope and Written Test and had high scores in all the other events to win the trophy as Top Overall Surface Team. The Mine Rescue Team from the De Beers Victor Mine in Northern Ontario also took part in the competition.
“I am extremely proud of the performance by the Gahcho Kué team and their colleagues from Victor Mine. They performed to a high level against some of the best mine rescue teams in Canada and demonstrated the passion and commitment our entire workforce has when it comes to putting safety first in everything we do at De Beers,” said Kim Truter, CEO of De Beers Canada. “This winning performance by Gahcho Kué also gives confidence to our employees’ families that their loved ones are in good hands when they are away from home. It was very pleasing to see strong support from De Beers’ leaders, support personnel and family members at the competition and at the award ceremony. This is a strong indicator of the health of our organisation.”
The eight-member competition team is drawn from members of the 35-person Gahcho Kué Emergency Response Team based at the mine. Four members were new to the team that dominated the 2017 competition.
“The fact that half of the members of the team were new to the competition reflects the high level of training and professionalism exhibited by all members of our Emergency Response Team,” said Allan Rodel, Mine General Manager. “I want to thank the Workers Safety and Compensation Commission and the volunteers who supported the competition and congratulate all the other teams that took part in a spectacular showcase.”
As Top Surface Mine Rescue Team in the NWT/Nunavut, Gahcho Kué has booked a spot in the biennial National Western Mine Rescue Competition, being held in Fernie, B.C. in 2019.