The NMRA Post 5 & West Virginia State Mine Rescue, First Aid, Bench & Preshift contest is being held this week in Morgantown, West Virginia.

The next competition will be the Pennsylvania State Mine Rescue, Bench and Preshift event in Carmichaels on August 24-26.

Another two-day contest will begin August 30 and extend through September 2, the Southern West Virginia Mine Rescue Association Mine Rescue, First Aid, Bench & Preshift event.

The competition will be hosted in Beckley and is limited to 36 teams, offering two mine recue problems.

Just after the Labor Day holiday, teams will converge in Lexington for the Kentucky State Mine Rescue, Bench, Preshift and MET contest in conjunction with the Kentucky Mining Institute September 8-10.

Before the month wraps, crews’ skills will be tested at the 2010 State of Tennessee Mine Rescue, First Aid, Bench (BG-4 & BioPak) and Preshift Contest scheduled for September 22-23 in Caryville.

Two final mine rescue events for the 2010 season will both take place in Appalachia. The first is the Ohio Mine Safety Competition, a one-day contest set for September 29 in Cadiz.

Wrapping up the year is Division 1 and 2 of the Nationwide Mine Rescue Skills Competition.

Teams will meet for the two-day contest October 5-6 at the Mining Technology and Training Center in Ruff Creek, Pennsylvania.

Keep watching ILN for the results of some of these final contests as they are made available.