The MS&T experimental mine recently hosted the 26th Annual Southeast Missouri Mine Rescue Contest.

Privately held Doe Run, based in St. Louis, Missouri, USA, is the largest integrated lead producer in the Western Hemisphere. Doe Run has operations in the U.S. states of Missouri, Washington and Arizona.

Doe Run’s Maroon Team members Steve Setzer, Luke Davis, Shawn Pratt, Jerry Laramore, Andrew Hampton, Richard Dickerson and Dale Coleman celebrated their 2008 “Best in State” victory, which makes them the first team in contest history to have achieved this distinction for three consecutive years. With this honor, the team earned the prestigious Dean’s Trophy and the highly coveted Mine Safety and Health Administration’s (MSHA) championship trophy. In addition, Maroon Team Benchman Ricky Martin placed first in the BG-4 Benchman Competition, and Carl Mann placed third.

“We were very much aware going into the competition that we had the opportunity to achieve what everyone was referring to as a ‘three-peat,’” said Steve Setzer, Maroon Team captain. “We take these competitive tests of knowledge, skill and ability that measure our emergency response readiness very seriously. When you add in an additional dose of stress tied to the possibility of a mine rescue triple-crown of sorts, the pressure definitely intensifies.”

During the awards ceremony, Maroon Team members applauded Doe Run’s Gray Team members Wayne Marlin, Randall Hill, Charlie Walker, William Johnson, Larry Barton, Kenny Wood and Kenny Sherrill, who took fourth place overall, and their Benchman, Garry Moore, who took second place in the BG-4 Competition. Also in the winner’s circle for Doe Run were Instrument Bench Competition participants Kenny Wood, who took first place, and Luke Davis, who took third.

According to Larry Hampton, one of Doe Run’s two team trainers, mine rescue is one for all and all for one. “Our teams train together one day per month, and a week during each month they are scheduled to participate in a competition,” Hampton said. “The members support each other, encourage each other and certainly challenge each other to do better. We are extremely pleased with their performance at this event—but even more so with their dedication and commitment to such an important, selfless cause.”

With another win, Doe Run’s Maroon Team has become the first team in the contest’s history to win three years in a row.

“This particular contest is the only one I know of in the U.S. that takes place in a mine setting,” said Denis Murphy, safety and environmental manager for Doe Run’s Southeast Missouri Mining and Milling Division. “MSHA visits and inspects mining operations across the U.S., providing them the opportunity to access information on every incident, accident and mine hazard. They take that information and use it to set up a pseudo mine disaster to provide as near a real-life situation as possible for the competition—which makes the accomplishments of our teams even more remarkable.”

Ensuring the safety of its employees is of critical importance for Doe Run. By actively training and testing the skills of its mine rescue teams, the company is raising the standard for employee protection while keeping the competition level high at mine rescue events. After returning with three trophies from the MSHA National Mine Rescue Contest, held during July in Reno, Nevada, Doe Run’s teams solidified their standing as some of the most talented mine rescuers in the country. The teams also set a Doe Run milestone for earning the most top honors in a national mine rescue contest.

Doe Run’s two troops, the Maroon Team and the Gray Team, joined the ranks of 33 others from 11 states to vie for national mine rescue titles. In the Multi-Gas Instrument Benchman Contest, Gray Team member Ken Wood captured third in the nation, while Gray Team member Garry Moore Jr. captured fourth in the BG-4 Benchman Contest. Both contests assess crucial skills used in underground mine rescue; competitors are judged on how quickly and accurately they identify and repair defects in emergency equipment, such as breathing devices and gas monitors. Meanwhile, Maroon Team members Jerry Laramore, Dale Copeland and Shawn Pratt defeated 27 other teams from across the country to secure a sixth-place finish in the first-aid contest, which evaluates the level of first-response treatment.

Staying at the top of their game requires training, and Doe Run’s teams dedicate more than 40 hours per month, outside of regular work schedules, to prepare for competition season. Team captains Wayne Marlin (Gray) and Steve Setzer (Maroon) lead the training sessions, and also assign team members to their competition posts.

Although each team has the opportunity to compete in four events, including a written examination, individual team members may only compete in a single event at the national contest. Both of Doe Run’s teams compete in several mine rescue contests throughout the year and have secured multiple honors, including the Gray Team’s first-place Gas Benchman finish and third-place BG-4 Benchman finish in the Southern Regional Mine Rescue Contest held in New Iberia, Louisiana. Doe Run’s Maroon Team also competed in and won the Southwest Wyoming Mutual Aid Mine Rescue Contest in Rock Springs, Wyoming.

Doe Run’s success in mine rescue contests seems to correlate to its overall safety record. Doe Run has earned MSHA’s prestigious Sentinels of Safety Award a total of 23 times.