The Harlan County Extension Agent for Agriculture and Natural Resources worked with Cumberland Tourism (event sponsor), and the Kentucky Division of Mine Safety to develop a training program (Harlan County Safety Days Mine Rescue Contest) for coal miners that participate on mine rescue teams.  The ANR agent directed the event and developed logistics prior to and during the event.   The event, in its 10^th year, is provided to coal mining companies that have trained mine rescue teams available.   

The training provides mock disaster situations, in first aid and mine rescue.  These situations are timed and evaluated and the teams are awarded in a contest format.   The 2023 event attracted eleven mine rescue teams from Kentucky and Virginia.  Post event evaluations show that $25,000 was injected into the community due to the event.  The event provided valuable skills training for more than 88 miners to conduct their jobs safely.  

In the eleven years of the event, over 1,200 coal miners have received first-aid and mine rescue training.  These miners brought representation from more than 30 coal company teams across eight states.   Also this event has injected a total of $367,000 into the local economy during that period.