Miners rescue competition

An unusual training Thursday for a select group of emergency crews. Their sole job is to rescue trapped miners. In light of the mine collapse in Utah, their mission is more important than ever.

"Mine rescue people are truly a special breed of miner," says mine rescuer Bud Martin

Those rescuers are training for the worst. Eight teams from New York and Ohio face all kinds of hazards in this simulated mine created in Henrietta.

"There is fire hazards, there is toxic air, oxygen deficient atmospheres, high carbon monoxide levels, there is victims with different degrees of injuries," says James Petrie of the Mine Safety and Health Administration.

Bud Martin and Keith Fowler work at a salt mine in Ohio. Together they have more than 50 years of experience.

"It's always a learning experience, like we were saying, in these kinds of competitions you can die and live to tell about it the next day but in real life you don't have that second chance and that's what these are about," says Fowler.

While this training for these mine rescue workers is about competition it has a lot more meaning with the recent mining tragedy in Huntington, Utah.

"Our hearts go out to the family, the friends, the colleagues of those miners that are trapped and were killed out in Utah - one of our own mine rescue personal with the U.S. Department of Labor For Mine Safety was unfortunately killed in that," says Petrie.

With those victims in mind - they train today in hopes of being ready for an emergency if it happens tomorrow.

Petrie says, "I think everybody here at this competition today realizes the importance of their training and that they are going to be putting their life on the line anytime they go underground in an emergency type situation."

The competition wraps up Friday with an awards ceremony.