Diverse Emergency Response team does whyalla proud

Two awards and plenty of learnings

OneSteel’s Iron Ore Emergency Response Team (ERT) has returned from the 2025 South Australian Mines Emergency Response Competition (SAMERC) with two awards and a truck-full of experience, learnings and knowledge.

This year’s OneSteel Manufacturing Pty Ltd (Administrators Appointed) (OneSteel) team was a diverse crew of employees and contractors from across the Whyalla Iron Ore operations. It consisted of Graeme Nolan and Ben Rowlands (OneSteel); Matt Vlachoulis (captain), Hengie Hyde, Stacey Stening (Golding contractors); Caitlin Skepper (SRG contractors) and team medic Jarred Mobbs from Fire & Safety Australia.

Competing against four other South Australian teams, two from New South Wales and a New Zealand outfit, the OneSteel Iron Ore ERT came away with the Team Skills and First Aid (mass casualty) awards.

Our team members have come away from this year’s event more confident in their response skills and with a better understanding of the capabilities of our site-based equipment and resources

Team Manager Mark Bishop

Winning these two awards is a great example of how the OneSteel Iron Ore business has partnered with strategic contractors Golding, SRG and Fire Services Australia over a number of years across the Whyalla Iron Ore operations, where great communication and working as a team is essential to the success of the operations.

Team Manager Mark Bishop said a series of training exercises at the Whyalla Steelworks, the Whyalla basketball stadium and the Whyalla Visitor Centre’s HMAS Whyalla were conducted to bring the team together and prime it for the tough competition at the CFS State Training Centre at Brukunga in the Adelaide Hills.

“They came together brilliantly on the back of five days training to refine their skills and bond as a team,” Mark said.

“Led by Matt Vlachoulis, our crew members showed exceptional teamwork and communication skills during all the different events to come away with these two awards.”

The CFS State Training Centre was an ideal venue for the competition and provided fantastic emergency response insights for our team and all teams involved.

Tackling ten challenging events, one of the highlights was the thermal imaging technology used in the Breathing Apparatus Search & Rescue (BA) scenario. Iron Ore team members who attended the competition to support the team were able to watch thermal images of the BA participants as they tackled the daunting rescue in pitch black conditions.

“The thermal imaging capability was a real eye-opener and provided even further learnings with a real-time picture of what was happening in this space,” Mark said.

“The CFS training centre was amazing with buildings, structures, hot fire pad, road crash and search scenarios that made the event very realistic.

“Our team members have come away from this year’s event more confident in their response skills and with a better understanding of the capabilities of our site-based equipment and resources.”

While congratulating the team and support staff, Mark also gave thanks to the Whyalla City Council for the use of the HMAS Whyalla for training and the Whyalla Basketball Association for the use of its stadium.

Competing teams: SIMEC Whyalla, Oceana Gold NZ, Newmont Cadia NSW, Kanmantoo Copper Mine, CSA Mine NSW, BHP Carrapateena, BHP Olympic Dam, BHP Prominent Hill.

Main picture and top right: The OneSteel Iron Ore Emergency Response Team. Top right: The Whyalla team shown in thermal imaging during the BA event. Below: The Whyalla team in action during the competition.

Overall winners of the 2025 SAMERC was the team from BHP at Carrapateena. Other awards included: