Ontario’s mine rescue competition season ended June 12 in Sudbury, where Glencore’s Sudbury Integrated Nickel Operations’ (INO) mine rescue team claimed the overall champion title for 2026.
The crew successfully completed a mock emergency against seven other top-performing mine rescue teams from across the province, organisers say.
Every year, Ontario Mine Rescue (OMR) plans an emergency scenario competition to grade its highly trained volunteers, putting their skills, knowledge and teamwork to the ultimate test. This new scenario highlighted how youth can be drawn to inactive or abandoned properties but remain unaware of the quiet hazards present in these areas.
Magna Mining Inc.’s Podolsky Mine, the setting of this year’s scenario, played its part as a historical property under care and maintenance. As the scenario unfolded, mine rescue teams learned that teenagers had broken into the site, including the underground entrance.
Before searching the site, mine rescue teams determined the underground air lacked oxygen, making it toxic to breathe without protection. Rescuers followed the sound of loud metal music down the mine drift, where they located two unresponsive teens along with clues of substance abuse.
“This type of scenario might seem silly at first glance,” Shawn Rideout, Chief Mine Rescue Officer at Workplace Safety North, says. “We’ve seen firsthand that youth often don’t realise how dangerous these restricted, abandoned mines really are. A spot they think is just a cool place to hang out can easily lead to the tragic situations our mine rescuers faced in this competition.”
The scenario also tackled opioid overdoses, which are becoming an increasing concern for mine rescue personnel. Whether an overdose or a lack of oxygen caused the patients’ unconsciousness, rescuers were judged on their ability to administer Narcan and supply safe air with an emergency breathing apparatus.
The competition continued as another trespassing teen reported a second emergency. Spotting an accident at the base of a steep ridge, judges oversaw how teams deployed specialized rope rescue methods to descend to the patient, provide first aid and transport them back to safety.
To conclude the scenario, teams encountered a mock vehicle fire on the mine property. They demonstrated how to operate a Compressed Air Foam System (CAFS), a specialised tool used to spread foam over fuel-related fires.
For its overall excellence during the simulation, Glencore Sudbury INO took home the coveted gold hard hats – a special trophy reminding the volunteers of the commitment, hard work and bravery behind its success.