This month, members of our emergency response teams at Bald Mountain and Round Mountain participated in the 33rd annual Elko Safety Olympiad in Nevada.
The event brought together 12 emergency response teams and over 100 volunteers from Nevada, California and Utah for a two-day competition to test safety and rescue skills and learn new techniques.
The rigorous competition included various simulations including confined space, fire safety, ropes, hazmat and medical triage, and concluded with a final event involving a forklift, car extraction, and multiple volunteers who were treated as ‘victims.’
“The Elko Safety Olympiad is an event we look forward to every year,” said John Burton, Health & Safety and Emergency Response Team Coordinator, Round Mountain. “It’s amazing to see the community of mine rescuers come together, put their skills to the test and learn something new from one another. We are lucky to have a community this passionate about mine safety.”
Bald Mountain received three awards at the event: second place in medical training, third place in the A-flight category, and, for their teamwork, the OJ Laughlin Sportsmanship Award.
“The Kinross Bald Mountain team lives by Kinross’ core values, including ‘Putting People First.’ This has a lot to do with our success as a team,” said Timothy Chapman, Health and Safety Specialist, Bald Mountain.” This year’s Safety Olympiad accolades were a big win for everyone.”
The Round Mountain mine rescue team preps for the competition
Bald Mountain mine rescuers during the fire safety portion of the competition
The scene of the final simulation, where rescuers extract ‘victims’ from a vehicle
Bald Mountain and Round Mountain mine rescuers at the award ceremony
Bald Mountain employees with their awards
