The Estevan Westmoreland Coal Mine Rescue Team was keeping their chops sharp by pitting their skills against the best over the weekend, at the 2018 Emergency Response Competition held in Moose Jaw.

"Our team did very well from a mine site standpoint, we're all very happy with our team. We finished first place in the First Aid event, which is very comforting I should say, of all the events to win that was the best one," stated Stephen Kitchen, the Volunteer Coordinator for the Emergency Mine Rescue Team.

"I know the results in the other events weren't how we thought they'd end up, but we're very proud of our team and they did everything that we asked them to do, they performed how they trained which is very nice to see."

READ HERE to learn more about the different parts of the competition, and more results.

"It takes quite a bit of work preparing for this event. (It's) a year long preparation for our team. We spend three weeks prior to the event for 8 hours a day training, honing in all of our different skills," Kitchen added.

The competition takes place annually, and for the rest of the year, the team is set to bring the highest level of safety to the mines.