Two mine rescue teams from Missouri S&T will compete in the 49th annual Southern Regional Mine Rescue Contest in New Iberia, Louisiana.

The competition, which is designed to simulate a mine emergency, will take place April 29-May 2. Two Missouri S&T teams will compete against multiple teams from the professional mining industry, such as Doe Run, Vulcan Materials Co. and Morton Salt. There are approximately 20 teams competing this year.

The competition consists of a written skills test; two hands-on simulated underground mine disasters; a first-aid portion with a written test, hands-on CPR and a first-responder scenario; and a team technician portion with a written test and technical troubleshooting of breathing apparatuses and gas instruments.

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) and Missouri Department of Labor Cave and Mine Safety will judge the competition.

Missouri S&T Black and Missouri S&T Gold will both compete at the event. Both teams are trained by DeWayne Phelps, senior lab mechanic in the mining and nuclear engineering department at S&T.

“Last year at this competition, our Gold Team finished second in the aid competition and third in the team technician competition, while our Black Team finished second in the aid competition,” says Phelps. “The industry teams that we competed against were very impressed with both of our teams’ success last year, and we hope to see similar results this year.”

The Missouri S&T Gold Team includes:

Josh Dierking, a sophomore in mining engineering from Sullivan, Missouri

Dan Heidrick, a senior in mining engineering from Fenton, Missouri

Chris Hudak, a senior in mining engineering from Brecksville, Ohio

Ethan Kerr, a senior in mining engineering from Union, Missouri

Meena Lahiri, a senior in mining engineering from Chesterfield, Missouri

Creighton Miles, a senior in mining engineering from Advance, Missouri

Josh Miller, a graduate student in explosives engineering from Rolla, Missouri

Adam Reiter, a senior in mining engineering from Fenton, Missouri

The Missouri S&T Black Team includes:

Brendan Heslin, a sophomore in biological sciences from Defiance, Missouri

Daniel Hesse, a junior in mining engineering from St. Charles, Missouri

JD Johnson, a junior in mining engineering from Rolla, Missouri

Drew Littich, a sophomore in mining engineering from Chesterfield, Missouri

Regan Pazdera, a freshman in mining engineering from Montgomery City, Missouri

Dustin Peterson, a junior in mining engineering from Grain Valley, Missouri

Josh Schoonover, a senior in mining engineering from Cainsville, Missouri

Rob Wymore, a senior in mining engineering from Imperial, Missouri.