This is a draft.
2026 Underground Competition Teams
The Underground competition will be held starting at 8 am on May 22nd at the Penticton Trade & Convention Centre & Memorial Arena. Free to attend and everyone is welcome to cheer on the teams!
Brucejack Mine Rescue
The Brucejack Mine is located approximately 950km north-west of Vancouver and 65km north-north-west of Stewart, BC. The Brucejack underground gold mine has been operational since July 2017. The mine is currently owned and operated by Newmont.
Left to right: Peter Devolder (coach), Captain Stuart Wood, Shaun Salmond, Christian Stalder, Matt Miller, Vice Captain Steve Emard, Coordinator Sean Fong, Jacob Stokker (spare)
New Afton Mine Rescue
The New Afton Mine is a large underground copper‑gold mine located about 10–17 km west of Kamloops, British Columbia. It began commercial production in 2012 and operates using a specialized block‑caving mining method, extracting ore from deep underground beneath a historic open‑pit mine. It is owned by Coeur Mining Inc.
It is one of Canada’s more significant metal mines, producing copper, gold, and some silver, and employs several hundred workers from the Kamloops region.
Wayde Bartholet, Erik Rissanen, Bryce Guzzell, Cole Greer, Jarvis Manuel, Corey Beeton, Myah Shewchuk, Carson Fraser (Coach)
Red Chris Fire and Mine Rescue
Newmont Corporation operates the Red Chris Porphyry Copper-Gold Project, an open-pit copper and gold mine located approximately 18 kilometers southeast of Iskut, B.C., in northwestern British Columbia. The mine is situated at the northern tip of the Golden Triangle, on the traditional territory of the Tahltan Nation. Proud to serve our nearby communities, and we consider it both an honor and a privilege to do so.
Top Left: Marc-Andre Swiderski, Austin Zsombor, Delainy Barry (Coach), Giovanni Ramunno; Bottom Left: Derek Parson (Coordinator), Kenny Rolston, Kelsey Loessl (Cpt), Matthew Hanson
Silvertip Mine Rescue Team
The Silvertip polymetallic exploration project is located in northern British Columbia, Canada, approximately 107 kilometers southwest of Watson Lake, Yukon, 330 kilometers southeast of Whitehorse, Yukon, and 16 kilometers south of the Alaska Highway. Silvertip is one of the highest-grade silver-zinc-lead projects in the world. It is owned by Coeur Mining Inc.
Ralph Roberts, Jake MacDonald, Todd Hayward, Marc Houghton, Christopher Hutchinson, Jordan Harding, Shawn Essery (coach)
BC NCS Mine Rescue Zones Competition May 21, 2026
The BC Mine Safety Association is preparing to hold the last remaining qualifying competition. Qualifying teams from the north, central and south zones of the province will compete at the Provincial Competition.
It will be held May 21st, 7am – 4pm at the Penticton Speedway, 2070 Carmi Ave, Penticton, BC.
FREE to attend, spectators welcome!
| Surface & First Aid Morning competition, 7am | Surface & First Aid Afternoon competition, 12pm |
| Red Chris Mine | Highland Valley Copper |
| Mount Milligan | Mount Polley Mine |
| Conuma Resources | Copper Mountain |
| Skeena | Gibraltar Mine |
| Team Miracle (First Aid only) | Heidelberg (First Aid only) |
Contact: Aaron Frost 250-230-4632
The BC Mine Safety Association thanks the following sponsors:
East Kootenay Zone qualifying competition
The East Kootenay Zone competition was held on the first weekend of May 2026.
1st Place in the 6 Person Surface Mine Rescue category went to the team from Elk Valley Resource’s (EVR) Line Creek Operations: Harley Marshall (Captain), Kyle Brennan (Vice-Captain), Jay Marshall, JP Wallin, Kyle Laboucne, Kenan Ligertwood (First Aider), Colleen O’Neill (spare). Coach: Alex Isaacs.
1st Place in the 3 Person First Aid category went to the team from EVR’s Line Creek Operations with team members Britany Dorion (Captain), Dana Dobrzanski, Rebecca Girvin.
The team from EVR’s Elkview Operations placed second in the 6 Person Mine Rescue category and the team from Greenhills Operations placed second in the 3 Person First Aid category.
The first and second place teams will now go on to represent EVR and the East Kootenays Zone at the Provincial Mine Rescue Competition on May 22-23, 2026, in Penticton, B.C.
Provincial Competition Schedule of Events May 22-23, 2026
This event will be held from 8-4 pm each day: May 22nd at the Penticton Trade & Convention Centre (273 Power Street), and May 23rd at the Penticton Fire Training Centre (285 Dawson Avenue).
The Schedule of Events contains a competition map for each day. Each competing team will participate in several stations designed to test their knowledge, skills and problem-solving. Rope-rescue, vehicle extrication, and first aid are but some of the skills they will be tested on througout the day. From fires to entrapments, these competitors train for everything so we do our best to deliver challenging and highly realistic scenarios to advance their ability to respond should they ever need to face the real thing.
Please respect the integrity of the competition and refrain from speaking to competitors as they move across the competition grounds in between and during the scenarios.
Scenarios typically start on the hour from 8 am until 4 pm. Stations include, but are not limited to Fire, Smoke, Extrication, Practical Skills and a written exam. The Obstacle and Recovery is the main underground event where multiple conditions contributing to a complex problem must be identified and controlled in order to bring trapped workers to safety.
Some audience like to follow their favourite team and others like to camp out at their favorite scenario or task. No matter your preference, feel free to cheer the teams on! Look for information posted nearby to describe the scenario and competition site map to enhance your viewing experience.
Dress for the weather!
2026 Surface & 3 Person First Aid Teams
The following teams have qualified to compete in the provincial competition.
Elkview Mine Rescue
Elkview Operations (Elk Valley Resources – EVR) is one of four steelmaking mines in the Elk Valley of British Columbia. Elkview is a surface mine that produces high quality steelmaking coal for steel production.
Kyle Dalke (Captain), Justin Rene (Vice), Brett Robertson, Callum Jenkins, Tyler Jensen Salters, Maria Janousek, Nathan Muller (spare), Luc Coultry (coach)
Greenhills 3 Person First Aid
May Pfeifer, Alexis Murray, Tanvir Sidhu, Ethan Lukkar (spare), Alex Hulst (coach)
Line Creek Mine Rescue & 3 Person First Aid
Line Creek operation is located approximately 25 km north of Sparwood. Line Creek supplies steelmaking and thermal coal to various international and domestic customers. Line Creek annual production capacities of the mine and preparation plant are approximately 3.5 million tonnes of clean coal.
Harley Marshall (Captain), Kyle Brennan (Vice Captain), Jay Marshall, JP Wallin, Kyle Laboucane, Kenan Ligertwood, Coleen O’Neill. Alex Isaacs (coach)
3 Person First Aid Team: Brittany Dorion (Captain), Dana Dobrzanski, Rebecca Girvin, Sam Braun (spare). Jen Virtue (coach)
The following teams will compete on May 21st at the NSC Zone competition to qualify for the provincial competition, May 22-23rd.
Centerra Gold Mine Rescue & 3 Person First Aid Team
Phil Law, Anthony Recksiedler, Gary Uchacz, Jordan Cook, Peter Good, Justin Surette, Katy Toner (spare), Rodney Swift (coach)
Conuma Mine Rescue & 3 Person First Aid
Shane Muise, Brodie Hovan, Adam Baron, Steve Terry, Christian Haab, Alex Poworoznik, Russell Hebert (spare), Chris Homister (coach)
3 PFA: Selena Logue, Adam Hall, Ben Sandeman, Martiene Watts (spare), Chris Homister (coach)
Copper Mountain Mine Rescue & 3 Person First Aid
The Copper Mountain mine, located near Princeton, British Columbia, is owned by Hudbay and operates within the traditional, unceded territory of the sməlqmix people. As the largest employer in the area, the mine is deeply woven into the local fabric, with ~70% of its workforce calling the surrounding communities home.
Frank Currier (Captain), Chris Hartinger (Vice Captain), Darryl Holloway, Nate Parsons, Fletcher Reichert, Kayden Jones, Pete Hartinger, Brent Roberts (coach)
3P FA: Harmony Krogstad (captain), Crystal Bourdon, Klayton Kent, Trish Gallant, Joe France (coach)
Gibraltar Mine Rescue & 3 Person First Aid
Taseko/Gibraltar Mine is located near Mcleese Lake. Gibraltar is the second largest open-pit mine in Canada and is the largest employer in the Cariboo region, this surface mine produces copper and molybdenum.
Right to left, Captain Jono Neufeld, Vice – Brian Getson, Todd Voth, Shawn Shaw, Tim Geisbrecht, Deanna Elden, Conrad Starkowski (spare).
3PFA: Captain Brian Getson, Todd Voth & Shawn Shaw, Cyndi van Alphen (coach)
Highland Valley Copper Mine Rescue & 3 Person First Aid
Teck’s Highland Valley Copper (HVC) Operations is 17 kilometers west of Logan Lake and 50 kilometers southwest of Kamloops. Mining began in the area in 1962 and HVC is a surface mine that produces copper and molybdenum concentrates. HVC was the first Canadian mine site to be awarded the Copper Mark verification for its responsible mining practices.
Captain Chad Lindsey, Vice-Captain Mike Lipkewich, Sean Davies, Stuart Holmes, Dennis Yandeau, Phil Doncaster, spare Cailie Paterson.
3PFA: Captain Cailie Paterson, Dennis Yandeau, Adam Newman. Dusty Kamps (coach)
Imperial Metals 3 Person First Aid Team
Mitch Lambert, Colton Ozzard, Glenda Loundon, Cheyleigh Sand (spare), Sam Bergman (coach)
Red Chris 3 Person First Aid Team
Newmont Corporation operates the Red Chris Porphyry Copper-Gold Project, an open-pit copper and gold mine located approximately 18 kilometers southeast of Iskut, B.C., in northwestern British Columbia. Red Chris Fire and Mine Rescue is proud to serve our nearby communities, and we consider it both an honor and a privilege to do so. Our team embraces the challenge of competition, participating in First Aid, Surface, and Underground rescue events, with many members competing across multiple disciplines.
Front Left: Austin Zsombor, Alicia Klimek, Lauren Frew, Jordan Botel (Captain), Back: Delainy Barry (Coach)
Red Chris Fire & Mine Rescue
We are committed to building a strong, inclusive program and firmly believe that involving new members in each competition is vital to skill development, knowledge sharing, and the continued growth of our team.
Top Left: Matt Hanson (Coach), Kenny Rolston, Mar-Andre Swderski, Gio Ramunno, Delainy Barry (Coach); Bottom Left: Derek Parsons, Alicia Klimek, Kelsey Loessl (Captain), Jordan Botel
Sechelt 3 Person First Aid
Heidelberg Materials’ Sechelt Mine is located 50km northwest of Vancouver and has been operating in the community since 1988. Sechelt is an open pit mine that produces sand and gravel products for Vancouver, Washington State and Vancouver Island.
Captain Nate Marshall, Mitchell Silvey, Kelsey Dixon and spare Marcus Baptiste. The team is coached by Matthew Silvey.
Skeena Mine Rescue & 3 Person First Aid
Matt Stevenson, Ashley Peszat, Jordon Muldoe, Josh Tadeson, Quinten, King Williams, Meghan Luxton, Sarah Glover (coach)
3PFA: Ashley Peszat, Meghan Luxton, Josh Tadeson, Jordon Muldoe (spare), Sarah Glover (coach)