Two mine rescue teams from the University of Missouri-Rolla — the only university in the nation to have such teams — will compete in an underground rescue competition May 2-4 in New Iberia, La.
The mine rescue competition is sponsored by the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA). The UMR teams and teams of professionals from the mining industry will be judged on how well they respond to a simulated disaster underground. The simulation will be set up and judged by representatives of MSHA. The teams will be rated on how well they follow basic rules and regulations while carrying out a rescue. They will also be graded on a written exam.
Team members are required to demonstrate an ability to administer first aid, test for the presence of gases and maintain a complex self-contained breathing apparatus.
The following are members of UMR’s 2007 Mine Rescue Teams:
Black team — Abby Alby, a sophomore in mining engineering from Rolla; Nathan Davis, a junior in mining engineering from Bucklin, Mo.; David Floyd (captain), a senior in mining engineering from Easley, S.C.; Pat Hardy, a sophomore in mining engineering from Ballwin, Mo.; Broadus Jeffcoat-Saco, a senior in geological engineering from Bismarck, N.D.; Daniel Klimmek, a sophomore in mining engineering from Sikeston, Mo.; David Lloyd, a senior in mining engineering from Harrisonville, Mo.; Casey Slaughter, a junior in mining engineering from Rolla.
Gold team — Tyler Acorn, a senior in mining engineering from Devil’s Elbow, Mo.; Andrew Blair, a junior in mining engineering from Crane, Mo.; Brianna Drury, a freshman in mining engineering from Waynesville, Mo.; Ivan Howard, a junior in mining engineering from Rolla; Margaret Howard, a sophomore in mining engineering from Warrensburg, Mo.; Nathan Rouse, a sophomore in mining engineering from Willow Springs, Mo.; Matt Schuckenbrock (captain), a mining engineering major from Louisiana, Mo.; Alex Warren, a sophomore in mining engineering from St. Joseph, Mo.