The Director General of Mineral and Coal Sends Off ERT GRN to Compete at MERC 2024 Australia

The Garuda Rescue Nusantara (GRN) Emergency Response Team (ERT) is ready to make its mark at the Mining Emergency Response Competition (MERC) 2024 in Langley Park, Perth, Australia, running from 29 November to 1 December 2024.

ERT GRN, the team from PT Putra Perkasa Abadi (PPA) and Overall Champion of the Indonesian Fire and Rescue Challenge (IFRC) four years running, will compete against strong teams from world-class company ERTs such as Broken Hill Proprietary (BHP), Rio Tinto, Newmont Asia Pacific, Fortescue Metal Group, Northern Star Resources and others. At MERC 2023 the PPA ERT won four trophies.

MERC 2024 features seven rescue scenarios: Confined Space Rescue, Emergency Response Team Readiness, Fire Fighting, First Aid, Hazmat, Road Crash and Vertical Rescue, and Incident Management.

The Director General of Mineral and Coal at the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, Dr. Ing. Tri Winarno, S.T., M.T, formally sent the team off at the Minerba Office in Jakarta on Friday, 22 November 2024. Present at the event were PPA founder Christianto Setyo, PPA President Director Joko Triraharjo, PPA Director Muhammad Affan, the team manager and coaches, and all ERT GRN members.

Tri Winarno urged the team not only to achieve results to be proud of but also to bring back lessons worth sharing so they become useful knowledge.

"Poinnya bukan kejuaraan melainkan motivasi untuk terus meningkatkan emergency response di industri pertambangan di Indonesia. Bekal ilmu baru yang nantinya didapatkan dari sana dibawa ke industri pertambangan. Kami Dirjen Minerba, khususnya semua pimpinan dan pegawai ikut mendoakan perjuangan teman-teman di sana. Besar harapan kita perjuangan teman-teman membuahkan hasil dan apa yang disiapkan benar-benar tercapai," said Tri Winarno at the send-off.

GRN's participation in MERC 2024 is not only a chance to prove its capability but also an opportunity to strengthen global cooperation in rescue. The competition involves highly demanding emergency simulations, testing technical skill, mental strength and team cohesion.

GRN Team Manager Adri Thanada stressed the importance of spirit and teamwork in facing the competition.

"Kami telah mempersiapkan tim dengan optimal, mengasah keterampilan di berbagai skenario, dan membangun kekompakan. MERC 2024.

adalah kesempatan besar untuk membuktikan kemampuan ERT Indonesia di tingkat internasional, sekaligus belajar ilmu baru yang nantinya didapatkan dari sana, dibawa, dan di share kepada teman-teman ERT lainnya, dan kami berterimakasih atas dukungan Kementerian ESDM, khususnya Ditjen Minerba, serta dukungan dari seluruh pihak, kami siap memberikan yang terbaik," said Adri Thanada.

With the experience and determination tested at MERC 2023, GRN is optimistic it can deliver its best performance. The event is also an opportunity to sharpen skills against international standards, while proving that Indonesia is home to a world-class rescue team.