Hecla's Lucky Friday Mine to compete in National Mine Rescue Contest

COEUR d’ALENE – From July 23-26, the Lucky Friday Mine’s Mine Rescue Team will be heading to the national mine rescue competition in Lexington Kentucky. In May, this team swept for the first time ever, the regional Central Mine Rescue competition held in Alaska.

The National Metal/ Non-Metal Mine Rescue contest, which is sponsored by the Mine Safety and Health Administration, consists of three categories: a field exercise, first aid skills and team technical equipment skills. The contest also includes a team trainer knowledge and skills competition. Over 40 teams from around the country are expected to participate.

These training contests help train and prepare the mine rescue teams and individual members to conduct some of the riskiest emergency responses undertaken, as they are called to travel deep into the underground mines to find missing or trapped miners, or recover mining operations following mine fires, explosions or cave-ins.

“The current Lucky Friday Mine Rescue Team banded together in April of 2017 after the labor strike”, said Scott Hogamier, Safety Supervisor and Mine Rescue Coordinator at the mine. Former mine rescue team members were brought back so they could compete, including Geoff Parker, Bob Burden and Zac Thomas who joined Jeff Hunter, Nick Furlin, Dustin Wuolle and Scott Hogamier. Together, there is 77 years of competition experience between the members.

“These are really some of the best of the best when it comes to mine rescue. You won’t find a more dedicated or professional group of individuals. Their actions and efforts really exemplify what it means to have safety as a core value of our culture at Lucky Friday”, said Tim Kilbreath, Manager of Health, Safety and Environmental.