Mine rescue team competition held in Logan Co.

LOGAN COUNTY, W.Va. (WSAZ) - During dangerous situations in a coal mine, safety teams are called out and miners are evacuated.

Having training to handle dangerous, high pressure and stressful situations could mean life or death for someone that needs rescued.

Mining disasters are rare but they do happen. It is the job of these rescue teams to go into a mine at the most dangerous times when sight is limited and time matters.

Chris Meade captained the Leer South Mine Rescue Team at the Southern West Virginia Fallen Heroes Mine Contest.

“A lot of ventilations, a lot of obstacles, a lot of things you can’t make too many mistakes on,” said Meade.

The course’s problem designer Harvey Ferrell said the map is blank when teams start out and when they come across a situation in the course they have to problem solve.

“They have to handle these different situations they might have to clear mine gases, they might have to pump water, they might have to add roof supports,” said Ferrell.

Meade’s team came across many obstacles including an unsafe road, a person that needed to be rescued and high gas levels.

Ferrell said 24 teams from Ohio, West Virginia, Kentucky and Colorado participated.

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