WRIGHT, Wyo., Aug. 27 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Arch Coal's Thunder Basin Coal Company achieved a first place finish in the 28th Annual International Surface Mine Rescue Competition held in Campbell County, Wyo., on August 21-23. A total of 12 teams from the United States and Canada participated in the three-day event hosted by the Powder River Basin Safety Association and the Campbell County Fire Department.
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"We're extremely proud of Thunder Basin's mine rescue team," said Ken Cochran, president and general manager of Thunder Basin. "These individuals are highly dedicated and train year-round in high-angle rescue, first aid and fire-fighting techniques for use in coal mine emergencies."
Thunder Basin's award-winning mine rescue team is comprised of Tom Barber (Captain), Wade Christensen (Co-Captain), Randy Roby, John Gunnels, Zach Nelson, Amy Love, Neil Wood, and Lanny West. Lynn Busskohl and Ron Holt serve as trainers.
In addition to earning first place in the skills stations and first place in the field problem, the judging committee awarded Thunder Basin's Amy Love, a certified EMT, with the 2008 Travis Roy Spirit Award as the individual who most exemplified the ideals of surface mine rescue competition.
"Mine rescue is an important part of our overall safety program," said Tim McCreary, safety manager of Thunder Basin. "While it's essential to prepare, we hope we won't need to use our mine rescue teams. The employees of Thunder Basin's Black Thunder and Coal Creek mines are working hard to eliminate all accidents and injuries. Our ultimate goal is to attain a perfect zero."
St. Louis-based Arch Coal, Inc. is one of the largest U.S. coal producers. Through its national network of mines, Arch supplies cleaner-burning, low-sulfur coal to fuel roughly 6 percent of the nation's electricity. Arch attained an overall safety record in 2007 that was 2.5 times better than the national coal industry average, representing the company's second-best year on record as measured by its total incident rate.
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