American Energy’s Century Mine team finished in the top slot for the bench contest, smoke event and the June 22 contest’s field exercise, all held at the JLS Mine Training Center in Cadiz.

It is the third time in the event’s four year history a Murray subsidiary has taken home the top prize. The Ohio Valley Coal Powhatan No.6 Mine team took first place in 2008 and Century received its initial first place finish in 2009.

“Safety is the primary concern in all our mining operations, and having a well trained rescue team provides a level of preparedness and safety that benefits all of our miners,” American Energy superintendent and general manager Kevin Hughes said.

“We are extremely proud of our mine rescue team and support them in their dedication to emergency preparedness. There simply is no substitute for being prepared and knowing what to do in an emergency.”

The Ohio Mine Safety Competition counts towards federally-required mine safety and rescue programs that miners must complete annually.

Murray officials noted that its teams were in place long before the requirement, and all of its crew members saw emergency mine rescue preparedness as a serious aspect of mine safety.

“The men on this team are committed to being the first line of response to saving our fellow miners in an emergency, all the teams here feel that way,” Century mine team captain Jason Dornon said.

“When there is a real emergency we want to be prepared and ready to go because that helps save lives. It is important and demanding work and we take it very seriously.”

Hosted by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Mineral Resources Management, the regional competition drew 31 teams from Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Illinois, Maryland and Virginia. Five of those teams were from Ohio operations.