MADISONVILLE, KY (WFIE) -
Miners from all across the country are testing their skills in Madisonville today.
It's part of a Regional Skills Mine Rescue Competition.
This is the first time a competition like this has been held in all of Kentucky, so the city of Madisonville is thrilled to be the host.
There's been several mine rescue competition's held throughout the commonwealth, but this is a regional event that brings more speciality elements into play.
For instance, there's going to be actual firefighting, teams will be administering first aid while under a breathing apparatus, and they'll be assessing different smoke filled areas.
It's going to be held at the Kentucky Coal Academy's Mine Emergency Response Academy.
Organizers say it's a great opportunity for them to utilize this facility to simulate real life disasters and be prepared in this situations.
Members of the Kentucky Coal Academy in Madisonville toured different competitions around the country to get a feel for how to run the event today, and they say they're excited to host this event, especially with how prevalent the coal industry is in western Kentucky.
The winners of today's competition will qualify for the 2012 National Skills Championship in West Virginia. So the action will be intense.
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