25th November 2025, Teams from Compass Minerals UK and DeepStore hosted a national mock event in the Winsford Salt Mine, where rescue members from several teams joined together to tackle various scenarios.
The event was not only a test of rescue members, but also of other parts of the organisation, all vital during emergency situations
Mock events such as these ensure that all systems and processes put in place work as expected and are improved where needed. This may be communication systems between safe havens and surface, tally boards used to account for personnel underground and remote monitoring systems, such as environmental measurements and CCTV.
The mock incident saw one team of eight rescue members from Winsford, British Gypsum and Mines Rescue Service Mansfield, Rawdon and Knottingley, deployed to a vehicle crash and two casualties near B4.
One casualty was inside the vehicle and another under. This situation required the team to use various skills in casualty handling, first aid, catastrophic bleeds and vehicle lifting equipment, to name a few. The team, led by James Farrell, spent an hour wearing breathing apparatus, successfully rescuing both casualties.
Mines Rescue service gave the team positive feedback for Winsford Mine overall, a testament to everyone who worked hard in advance of and on the day of the mock event
