§15-5B-3. Emergency mine response.

(a) To assist the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management in implementing and operating the Mine and Industrial Accident Rapid Response System, the Office of Miners' Health, Safety and Training shall, on a quarterly basis, provide the emergency operations center with a mine emergency contact list. In the event of any change in the information contained in the mine emergency contact list, the changes shall be provided immediately to the emergency operations center. The mine emergency contact list shall include the following information:

(1) The names and telephone numbers of the Director of the Office of Miners' Health, Safety and Training, or his or her designee, including at least one telephone number at which the director or designee may be reached at any time;

(2) The names and telephone numbers of all district mine inspectors, including at least one telephone number for each inspector at which each inspector may be reached at any time;

(3) A current listing of all regional offices or districts of the Office of Miners' Health, Safety and Training, including a detailed description of the geographical areas served by each regional office or district; and

(4) The names, locations and telephone numbers of all mine rescue stations, including at least one telephone number for each station that may be called twenty-four hours a day and a listing of all mines that each mine rescue station serves in accordance with the provisions of section thirty-five, article one, chapter twenty-two-a of this code.

(b) Upon the receipt of an emergency call regarding any accident, as defined in section sixty-six, article two, chapter twenty-two-a of this code, in or about any mine, the emergency operations center shall immediately notify:

(1) The Director of the Office of Miners' Health, Safety and Training or his or her designee;

(2) The district mine inspector assigned to the district or region in which the accident occurred; and

(3) Local emergency service personnel in the area in which the accident occurred.

(c) The director or his or her designee shall determine the necessity for and contact all mine rescue stations that provide rescue coverage to the mine in question.

(d) In the event that an emergency call regarding any accident, as defined in section sixty-six, article two, chapter twenty-two-a of this code, in or about any mine, is initially received by a county answering point, as defined in article six, chapter twenty-four of this code, the call shall be immediately forwarded to the Mine and Industrial Accident Emergency Operations Center.

(e) Nothing in this section shall be construed to relieve an operator, as defined in section two, article one, chapter twenty-two-a of this code, from any reporting or notification obligation under section sixty-six, article two, chapter twenty-two-a of this code and under federal law.

(f) The Mine and Industrial Accident Rapid Response System and the emergency operations center are designed and intended to provide communications assistance to emergency responders and other responsible persons. Nothing in this section shall be construed to conflict with the responsibility and authority of an operator to provide mine rescue coverage in accordance with the provisions of section thirty-five, article one, chapter twenty-two-a of this code or the authority of the Director of the Office of Miners' Health, Safety and Training to assign mine rescue teams under the provisions of subsection (d) of said section or to exercise any other authority provided in chapter twenty-two-a of this code.