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A mine rescue exercise took teams from all three NWT diamond mines deep underground at De Beers Snap Lake Mine to hone their skills as part of a joint agreement to assist each other should an emergency arise at one of the mines.

De Beers hosted the second annual mutual aid training exercise on March 14, with personnel from Diavik and Ekati mines joining their Snap Lake counterparts.

All three mines have an agreement that in the event of an emergency at one operation, mine rescuer crews from the other operations will offer assistance as needed. Where De Beers Snap Lake Mine is Canada’s only fully underground diamond mine and the oldest underground diamond mine in the NWT, the exercise was a chance for Snap Lake Mine’s Emergency Response Team to introduce Ekati and Diavik teams to the Snap Lake underground mine and participate in different emergency response scenarios.

“The exercise was an opportunity for the highly trained emergency responders at Snap Lake Mine to practice their skills and share their extensive underground rescue knowledge at the mine with counterparts from Diavik and Ekati mines, which are quite different than our operation” said Darren Raymond, Manager of Safety, Health and Risk for Snap Lake Mine and the Gahcho Kué Project.

“The mutual aid exercise provides important familiarity of each mine and the strengths of each rescue team, which enhances their ability to work together in the unlikely event that any of the mines need to activate our mutual aid agreement.”

Six teams of responders, some made up of participants from a single mine and some a mix of the three, carried out training exercises  on how to locate missing personnel and how to put out a simulated underground fire. Mine inspectors from the Workers Safety and Compensation Commission of the NWT were on hand to observe the training.

The teams then gathered in the Snap Lake dining hall for a meal and recognition of their successful training exercise.