Mine rescue teams compete underground in biggest competition in a decade

Emergency response teams tasked with keeping miners safe in one of the most complex working environments on the planet have put themselves to the test in Western Australia's annual Underground Mine Rescue Competition.

While the equipment has changed, the volunteer ethos draws on more than 100 years of emergency response traditions across WA's mining industry.

Mine emergency response teams (ERT) train in everything from firefighting to underwater rescue to first aid.

Once a year, teams from some of the state's biggest mines gather to test their skills at the competition, run by WA's Chamber of Minerals and Energy.

This year's event brought together 14 teams, the largest field in a decade, to the Gordon Sirdar gold mine, north-east of Kalgoorlie-Boulder and around 630km from Perth.

First time for everything

The rescue team from Liontown Resources was competing for the first time, reflecting the lithium miner's status as a relative newcomer in the historic mining region.

Team captain Meghan Page, a mining engineer, joined the company's rescue team for the opportunity to get "hands-on", and quickly fell in love with it.

"I definitely love ropes the most," she said.

"I am actually slightly afraid of heights, but when I'm on ropes, that all goes away."

Ms Page said a major reason she joined was knowing there were people watching each other's backs.

"If I had family or a partner on site, I'd want to know that there were people like me and my team training and there if things went wrong,"

she said.

Real-world inspired events

Judges decide the overall winner from points scored from a range of categories, but the main focus remains on preparation for real-world emergencies.

Underground events include real fire and flooded tunnels; even the fake casualties use convincing makeup to make it feel real.

Mines Rescue Committee chair Daniel Gloss, a 20-year industry veteran, said months of preparation went into the event.

"What we do … is create a really realistic, dynamic environment, put the teams under pressure," Mr Gloss said.

"[We] put them through fairly intense and developed scenarios to really look at how those skills play out in an actual scenario."

The Varischetti Rescue of March 1907 in WA's remote Goldfields shows just how much the technology has changed, but the risks remain the same.

Modesto "Charlie" Varischetti became trapped underground at the Bonnievale gold mine after a sudden storm saw floodwaters break into the mine's underground tunnels.

Four volunteer divers worked for nine days to rescue the mine worker, using the diving equipment of the day to stage a miracle rescue.

The underwater obstacles at this year's event were designed to be similar to conditions during the 2018 Thai cave rescue, and state-of-the-art technology will be made available to teams.

A family tradition

Northern Star Resources' Maritza Potgieter has been part of the mine rescue team for seven years.

"Our family have always been part of working in mining and always been part of the emergency response teams," she said. 

"My dad … was a little bit apprehensive of me joining, but as the time went on, I think he was pretty proud."

She enjoyed the work so much, she now works as the miner's rescue coordinator.

"The biggest thing for me was … how close you become with the other ERT members," she said.

"I think that's definitely what's drawn me the most to ERT and why I will continue doing it probably for the rest of my life."

Lessons learned 

Attending the underground competition for the first time, Evolution Mining medic Annika Messervy said she joined the ERT team 18 months ago because it frightened her. 

"I think I've become a much more confident person with it; everyone I've met through it is so wonderful," she said.

"It's been so much fun … it's a fantastic community."

With competitions wrapping up on Sunday, teams attend an awards ceremony before returning home to put what they learned into practice.