After a fire occurred in a coal mine, compared with putting out the fire, organizing the miners' safe escape was especially important. We established a local ventilation system model using TEPS (Thunderhead Engineering PyroSim) and set up control measures for fire smoke. The change rule of fire parameters, such as temperature, concentration of smoke, and visibility, was analyzed based on the results of FDS (Fire Dynamics Simulator). Without the control measures for fire smoke, the coal face and the intake airflow roadway were all polluted by smoke at 541 s after the fire broke out; at this time, personnel escape would be almost impossible in the coal face. Thus, the personnel escape conditions and routes are determined by the parameters of fire smoke flow. Evac was used to simulate the escape behavior of a miner who encounters an accident in a coal mine. After taking the fire smoke control measures into account, we perfomied simulation calculation to determine the best and fastest way for miners' escape. We exploited the hardware and software, and the belt fire emergency rescue system of the No. 1 plate in the Da Liu-ta coal mine was established. The emergency rescue system successfully fused fire plume control and personnel escape information into one platform. Through simulating a fire drill three times, the air quantity of the key branches changed to within reasonable limits while the air-door's opening area was 2 m(2), field tests proved the reliability and feasibility of the system. (C) 2016 Institution of Chemical Engineers. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.