Australian mine rescue teams go head-to-head

Yesterday, Queensland Mines Rescue Service (QMRS) and Coal Services NSW Mines Rescue hosted the 61st Australian Underground Mines Rescue Competition at BMA’s Broadmeadow coal mine in Queensland.

The event brought together eight of the nation’s best mines rescue teams from Queensland and NSW, showcasing their skills, teamwork and commitment to safety in a series of challenging underground emergency response scenarios.

Teams were tested on firefighting, search and rescue, first aid, hazard awareness and team management across realistic and high-pressure situations designed by experienced assessors.

Coal Services state operations manager Lachlan Grant says mines rescue brigades play a pivotal role in maintaining safety across the industry.

“Every day, our highly skilled brigades contribute to incident prevention, but unfortunately emergencies still occur,” he said.

“That is why it is vital that we continue to train, test and sharpen our skills in preparation for any situation. Competitions like this form a crucial part of ongoing training, testing our teams in realistic and challenging scenarios.”

The Anglo American Moranbah North mine team took home first place while teams from Anglo American’s Grosvenor mine and Kestrel Coal Resources Kestrel mine took home second and third place respectively.

QMRS chief executive Tim Jackson says every competitor would take lasting value from the event.

“While only one team can finish in first place, every competitor will walk away with more than just results,” he said.

“Each will return to their workplace and community as a stronger rescuer, a stronger teammate and a stronger individual, enriched by the lessons, challenges and camaraderie of this competition.”

Winning team Moranbah North captain Jason Seaborn says the result reflects the hard work and training the team put in.

“Every session has been about trusting each other and backing our skills, and it’s rewarding to see that pay off,” he said.

“The standard of competition was really strong, and every team pushed us to be better, which makes this result even more meaningful.”

The mining industry has made significant improvements in health and safety over the last decade, reducing the incidence rates of both fatalities and serious injuries.

According to Safe Work Australia, mining industry fatalities decreased 65% from 12.4 worker fatalities per 100,000 workers in 2003, to 2.4 in 2022.

Moranbah North mine general manager Paul Stephan says the mines rescue team’s win was another outstanding achievement, having also claimed the 2024 national title and placing second to sister mine Grosvenor in 2023.

“These competitions test the strength of our team under pressure and this win is testament to their professionalism, preparation and commitment to safety,” he said.

“Everyone deserves to go home safely and this success is a reflection of every miner who looks out for their mates and makes safety the top priority on every shift.”

Grosvenor Mine operations manager Scott Dobbie says he was incredibly proud of the mines rescue team’s performance.

“It’s an honour for Grosvenor to stand alongside skilled teams from across Australia who share our goal of ensuring every miner goes home safely at the end of every shift,” he said.

“Mines rescue is one of the purest demonstrations of teamwork, discipline and courage in our industry. At Grosvenor, we have borne witness to that throughout our re-entry journey with crews from across the Bowen Basin stepping up to ensure safety always comes first.”