Emergency preparedness
Last updated on November 29, 2023Mine emergency response plans
The Health, Safety and Reclamation Code for Mines in British Columbia (PDF, 2.4MB) (the Code) requires all mines to prepare a Mine Emergency Response Plan (MERP). The Province has developed an MERP Guidelines document that suggests approaches for preparing, training and organizing personnel for managing a mine emergency operation.
Mutual aid agreement guideline
The following guideline will assist mining operations in identifying criteria that should be considered when establishing mutual aid.
Mine rescue
The Code requires that trained mine rescue teams and equipment be maintained at all mines. Once the basic skills are learned, the teams continue to regularly train and practice so that they can respond effectively to a mine emergency.
Western Canada mine rescue manual
All mines in British Columbia, the Yukon, the Northwest Territories, and Nunavut must have a mine rescue team. The Western Canada Mine Rescue Manual is the main training document for potential members of mine rescue teams in B.C. and Canada’s territories. The manual provides basic training only for a number of rescue situations, such as fires, hazardous atmospheres and rope rescue.
The first manual was produced in 1977. This latest edition was edited and compiled in 2014-15 by a steering committee consisting of government and industry representatives from B.C., the Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut.
Provincial mine rescue and first aid competition
The Provincial mine rescue and first aid competition has been held annually since the 1900s.