The National Mine Health and Safety Academy in Beaver, West Virginia, played host to the 2014 West Virginia Alliance Mine Rescue Skills Competition May 13-15. Thirty-seven teams representing coal mines from throughout the region participated in the annual event that tests a variety of critical skills team members need if they are tapped to respond to an actual mine emergency.

This year's competition was broken down into four blocks of skills training: mine rescue ventilation and exploration, mine rescue smoke exploration, firefighting, and mine rescue support.