KGHM rescuers on the podium of the National Mountain Rescue Competition

KGHM rescuers from the Mine and Smelter Rescue Unit (MSU) once again confirmed their champions’ skills, taking second place at the 29th National Mountain Rescue Competition. The first place was won by the firefighters from the Municipal Headquarters of the National Fire Service in Lublin. The competition was traditionally held in Karłowo, in the Stołowe Mountains.

This year’s competition attracted 27 teams, including as many as nine from outside the mountain rescue service. Among them was the KGHM team, which was one of the favourites in the competition. The KGHM team, which comprised Sylwester Szymczyk (Polkowice-Sieroszowice Mining Facility), Robert Walkowiak (Rudna Mining Facility) and Adrian Szpilewski (Rudna Mining Facility), once again proved its high qualifications, taking second place in the non-mining rescue team classification and third place overall in the competition.

The contest consisted of eight demanding competitions that tested the all-round skills of the rescuers. The teams competed, among other things, in a crossing with clamping devices with a rope release, a rope bridge crossing, rappelling across rebelays and a partner rescue. In one competition, the competitors had to pull a casualty out of a crevasse, while in another task they had to transport one of their team members in an alpine cart over a distance of 100 metres.

Despite the demanding competition, the KGHM team once again showed their determination, winning second place with a time of 1:01:20.0, just 1:56.3 more than the winners from the Lublin National Rescue Service. It should be noted that KGHM rescuers have not been off the podium in this prestigious competition since 2018. In 2023, the company's team took second place losing only to the team from the Provincial Headquarters of the National Fire Service in Wrocław.