CFA's Oscar 1 technical rescue team has taken out second place in this year's Victorian Mine Rescue Competition (VMRC) held at Energy Australia's Yallourn mine in the Latrobe Valley from October 18 - 20.
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The team took out the Search and Rescue and the Safety Award categories to seal second place, with Northparkes Mine Rescue team taking out three challenges to win the event overall.
Established in 1993 by the Minerals Council of Australia, the Victorian Mine Rescue Challenge sees mine rescue and emergency response teams from mine sites across Australia compete against each other in a variety of simulated emergency situations to put their skills to the test and share their extensive knowledge with each other.
Oscar 1 took out second place in this year's Mine Rescue Challenge
The simulated emergencies faced by the teams at the competition help prepare them for real-life situations.
The teams competed in a range of events including Skills, Firefighting, First Aid, Rope Rescue, Theory, and Search and Rescue. The captains of each team and team safety are also assessed across all activities.
This year's event also included representatives from VicSES, Police Search and Rescue, Ambulance Victoria and EMV.
Oscar 1 became a CFA Brigade in May 2013 after its formation as a rescue team in 1999. The team is the only volunteer mine rescue team in Australia and the only CFA brigade with underground mine rescue capability.
Based in Bendigo, the team of volunteers is skilled in open and closed-circuit breathing apparatus, underground search and rescue, vertical and high-angle rescue, grain engulfment rescue, and confined space rescue.
