By TERRY PUGH
After wrapping up several days of intensive training in Warman earlier this month, an all-female team is looking forward to showcasing their skills at the International Mines Rescue Competition (IMRC) in Zambia, Africa April 25-May 7.
The Diamonds in the Rough team, made up of women in the mining industry from across Canada, will be competing in the IMRC for the fifth time since 2018.
“This year we have probably the most inexperienced team we’ve ever had,” said Diamonds in the Rough Coach Kari Lentowicz in an interview during a break in the team’s training at the Warman Fire Hall April 1. “A lot of them have only been certified in mine rescue for three years or less; but they’re such a strong team. They ask a lot of questions, they have such drive, and they want to do it right.”
Lentowicz, who co-founded Diamonds In the Rough in 2017 and has led the team since its first international IMRC competition in Russia in 2018, said the main goal of the program is to encourage women to take on non-traditional roles with a focus on mine rescue and emergency response.
Lentowicz worked in the mining industry for many years, and in 2013, was the first female to be certified as a Mine Rescue Trainer. She completed her Master of Arts in Disaster and Emergency Management and currently runs her own consulting business, KLEMQ Consulting.
ENCOURAGING LEADERSHIP
The Diamonds in the Rough team personnel changes every competition, although some women can return for a second tour of duty, said Lentowicz.
“We give women the opportunity to participate twice if they like,” she said. “The veterans can help us teach; they can show how we’ve done it before. Allowing them to mentor others gives them that skill as well.
“But, we also want to give more women the opportunity to experience what it’s like to be in an all-female environment; to tackle those big challenges, to gain confidence, acquire technical skills and develop their leadership ability.
“The more women who have that experience, the more role models we have. By creating these role models we hope to draw more young women into the mining industry. Diversity is important because it not only makes for a safer industry, it also increases mining companies’ bottom line.”
WARMAN OFFERS FACILITIES
The Diamonds in the Rough team spent several days in late March and early April training at the Warman Fire Hall and Diamond Arena after a previous arrangement in eastern Canada fell through.
Warman Fire Chief Russ Austin said the community was happy to host the team.
“They had some issue with a training venue in Ontario, and through the fact that I knew about the program, someone from Saskatoon reached out and asked us on short notice if we could help them out,” said Austin. “We’ve been doing fire and some rescue techniques here, and one of our firefighters, Chris Beblow and his company, ERFM Training and Supplies, have been doing all the technical training.”
Austin is impressed with how the women have responded to the intense training regimen.
“It’s very inspiring to see how they handle the challenge and work so well together,” he said.
TEAM MEMBERS
Austin’s daughter Stephanie (a member of the LeRoy, Saskatchewan volunteer fire department and an employee of BHP Billiton) is among this year’s Diamonds in the Rough team heading off to international competition. The team also includes Cedar Metatawabin, Nicole Gryba, Pascale Claveau, Christine Turmel, Alycia Kanters, coach Kari Lentowicz and trainers Bruce Coley and Randy DeCecco
The team members are slated to leave Canada on April 23 and arrive in Zambia on April 24.
“It’s going to be a pretty long trip,” said Lentowicz. “There are 22 teams from around the world competing in this event. The majority of teams are all men. Some teams will have female members, but I’m not sure if we’ll see any other all-female teams. I sure hope so.”
The event in Zambia takes place in two locations, located a considerable distance apart. The first is in Mufulira at the Mopani Central Training Centre (MCTC) and the second in Solwezi at FQM Kansanshi Mine.
IMPRESSIVE RECORD
Lentowicz said while the team wants to win, that’s not the main objective.
“I wouldn’t care if we came in last as long as we can show people that we want to be there and we can do it,” she said. “The goal is to give these women an opportunity. We’re training so we work smarter, not harder. We use every advantage we can because more often than not women are smaller stature. But, we have women who have been able to do the exact same thing as a team of men that’s been competing together for ten years, and we’ve been able to blow them out of the water. That’s not necessarily the goal, though. The goal is to show that women can do this; that women have a place in the mining industry and in mine rescue.
“Don’t leave us out because if you do, you’re leaving out 50% of the population.”
Lentowicz said the Diamonds in the Rough team is blazing a path for women in the mining industry, and in mine rescue, internationally by going toe-to-toe with the best in the world at IMRC competitions.
“In 2018, we were the first all-female team to compete internationally,” she said. “And we were also the first women to ever perform work underground in Russia, because it’s actually illegal for women to work in mines there.
“In 2019 we competed in Fernie, BC, and we were the first all-female team to compete nationally in Canada.”
The Covid-19 pandemic put a temporary halt to international events, but in 2022, a Diamonds in the Rough team competing in West Virginia, USA, dispelled all doubts about whether women could handle the physical and psychological pressure.
“We did phenomenal,” said Lentowicz. “At the time we had the most inexperienced team, and the smallest team physically. Yet we placed sixth overall out of 22 teams. We were second in high-angle rope rescue; third in tech and theory, fourth in firefighting, and ninth in the underground challenge.”
She said hot weather during the West Virginia competition amplified the challenge. During the firefighting event, team members had to battle a blaze in a large underground culvert wearing fireproof coveralls and self-contained breathing apparatus.
“One of the women came out afterward and she was just absolutely beat,” said Lentowicz. “She had given everything she had. We got her coveralls off and dumped water on her head to cool her down. I took her mask off, and she said, ‘I’m not going to lie. I threw up in my mask, but I swallowed it.’ She was my hero that day. I was so proud.”
In 2024, a Diamonds in the Rough team competed in Colombia, an event that also saw two other all-female squads in the mix.
“One was from Colombia and the other was from India,” said Lentowicz. “They attributed their participation to the fact that they were inspired by Diamonds in the Rough.”
Lentowicz said during the mine rescue event in Colombia, team members had to carry a person on a stretcher through water that came up to their shoulders.
“I guess if they had been a little taller it would have helped,” she said. “But they absolutely did it. They came out of it a muddy mess, but they were so proud of themselves. It was fantastic.”