Strong showing for Nutrien-sponsored all-women mine rescue team
Published: Oct 13, 2022
The Diamonds in the Rough placed sixth overall at the International Mines Rescue Competition in West Virginia.
Nutrien Potash employee Kirstin Hanson got the chance to represent Nutrien on the global stage in September, when she was invited to join an all-Canadian team of women assembled to compete in the 2022 International Mines Rescue Competition (IMRC) in West Virginia.
Kirstin, Exposure-Based Safety Facilitator at our Rocanville, Saskatchewan Potash mine, was invited to join the Diamonds in the Rough – a Nutrien-sponsored team of women from a variety of Canadian mines.
Kirstin started training to join the mine rescue team during the pandemic and became certified in 2021. She got her first taste of competition at the 2022 Saskatchewan Mining Association Provincials this spring, and during that event, she met Kari Lentowicz – co-founder and coach of the Diamonds in the Rough – who invited her to join the IMRC team.
“Through provincial training with my local team, I found a passion for mine rescue,” says Kirstin. “When I had the opportunity to be a part of an all-female team, it was an easy decision to say yes!”
She found herself working with a group of seven highly skilled and collaborative women from gold, diamond, hard rock and potash mines in five provinces and territories. They were all unknown to each other until the week prior to the competition, so they had to quickly familiarize themselves with their different personalities, strengths and ways of working.
“A lot of teams train together for weeks or years,” says Kirstin. “We had one week and utilized our time together by getting to know each other – and I’d have to say we were pretty successful, given our ranking at the competition.”
Twenty-two teams from eight countries converged on the Mine Health and Safety Academy in Beaver, West Virginia to compete in five team events: Mine Rescue Simulation, Firefighting, First Aid, Theory Examination & Technician and either High Angle Rope Rescue or Mine Rescue Skills. At the end of the event, the Diamonds in the Rough ranked sixth overall.
They placed second in High Angle Rope Rescue, third in Theory Examination & Technician Events, fourth in Firefighting and ninth in the Mine Rescue Field Event.
“Being able to compete together was an honor,” says Kirstin. “In a male-dominated industry, it was great to find like-minded women from different jurisdictions all with the same goals to showcase what we are capable of – it felt empowering.”
While competing is exhilarating and representing Nutrien and the industry is an honor for Kristin, the real power of these competitions is the training experience they provide, to help mine rescue team members prepare for real emergencies.
“The experience was amazing, and I was able to gain more confidence in mine rescue,” says Kirstin. “I have only participated on two teams, but both of those teams feel like family to me and folks I can trust my life with if there was ever an emergency.”