All-women mining rescue team sets sights on international competition in Russia

(cbc.ca) - An all-female mine rescue team thinks it could be the first of its kind to participate in the International Mines Rescue Competition in Ekaterinburg, Russia, later this year. The week-long competition includes many different events — from firefighting to first aid and a rescue simulation. Heather MacKenzie is one of the team members of Diamonds in the Rough. She grew up in Yellowknife and works for a mining company in the Northwest Territories. "The fact that we're putting together this team, we're ensuring that this competition will have double the amount of women that were at the last international [competition]," said MacKenzie. She said she's always been a minority as a woman in the mining industry, and that is the same in mining rescue. "It's often seen as a position that women don't generally hold," she said. MacKenzie is currently training for a territorial competition with her company, which will help her prepare for the international competition in Russia. For about a month, she'll train for 12 to 16 hours a day. "I've always been a competitor," said MacKenzie. But there is one problem: funding.