Another successful Northern Australia Emergency Response Competition took place at the Mount Isa Entertainment Centre in Queensland last weekend. During the three day event eight Emergency Response teams from around Northern Australia were given the opportunity to test their skills learnt in the field through simulated emergency situations.

Two of ERGT Australia’s Darwin Trainers, Ron and Mitch, joined the event as adjudicators, gaining great industry experience and utilising their skills and knowledge in their new roles.

The first day of competition saw the underground teams answering their “call to response” and the non-underground teams beginning their individual skills event. That evening the teams and sponsors came together on the Friday night for the ERGT sponsored Welcome Dinner.

The following busy days included several more “calls to response” which involved scenarios including mass casualty, road crash rescue, underground mine rescue and vertical rope rescue.

The awards dinner on Sunday evening saw the efforts of the hard working teams recognised across several award categories, including the Best Overall Team Award which went to the Glencore’s Mount Isa Mine Team. This was a well-deserved award with MIM being exceptionally well drilled and showing significant capacity no matter what the situation presented to them.

The ERGT Australia team would like to make special mention of the speech given by local Miner, Trevor, who paid homage to all emergency services that put their lives on the line no matter what the time or situation. His acknowledgement to these men and women past and present, left most of the people in the room with tears in their eyes and knots in their stomachs. It was a truly heartfelt speech that rightfully gave the teams the acknowledgement and recognition they richly deserved.

ERGT Australia is proud to have been involved in an event which promotes safety in such a practical and team-focused manner.