Cumberland River’s blue rescue team earned the grand championship out of 37 teams from six states in the 2012 Virginia Mining Institute contest.

This the team’s second consecutive top honors win.

It was the only team to have achieved a perfect score during the two-day rescue competition held in Blackburg Virginia on August 7 to 9.

Mountain Laurel’s gold rescue team won the pennant from 19 teams at the Harlan County Safety Days mine rescue competition.

That competition was held at Southeast Kentucky Community & Technical College from July 24-26.

Cumberland River’s blue team, Viper’s red team and Wolf Run’s white team also placed in the top 10 at that competition.

Employees volunteer to be part of the mine rescue teams.

They receive special training in emergency search and rescue and keep those skills sharp in these sorts of competitions.

Competition challenges include first aid, mapping and fire-fighting.

Arch’s community relations team may have some fires to fight of their own with the Great Falls Tribune reporting the company “quietly submitted” an application for a strip mining permit for the Otter Creek coal mine in Montana.

The paper reports demonstrators have taken up residence in the state Capitol rotunda to protest the Otter Creek development and the possibility of coal exports in Montana.

Seven protestors were arrested after refusing to leave the Capitol at closing time.