Vale's East Mines Rescue Team finished in the top five for first aid at the ninth International Mine Rescue Competition in Katowice, Poland.
The company's Sudbury-based team competed against 21 other teams from more than 13 countries.
The Vale team also finished 12th overall in the mine rescue simulation exercise.
The simulation exercise was a coal mine scenario, something very new to a team that typically trains for underground hard rock emergencies.
“We could not be more proud of the team and all of the effort they put into preparing for this competition,” said Kelly Strong, vice-president of Vale’s Ontario and UK operations, in a release. “Our mine rescue teams have always been among the best in the world, and our team demonstrated that in spades this month in Poland.”
The International Mine Rescue Competition began in 1998, and has been held in numerous countries around the world including the United States, Australia, China and the Ukraine.
This year’s competition took place on September 10 and September 11. This was the first time a Vale team competed in the international competition.
