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Mass Notification for Nuclear Power Plant Preparedness and Emergency Response

Mass Notification for Nuclear Power Plant Preparedness and Emergency Response

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Mass Notification for Nuclear Power Plant Preparedness and Emergency Response

The ongoing crisis in Japan has heightened awareness of nuclear plant safety, preparedness and emergency response. In one news story after another, nuclear plant officials are being asked to detail their “worst case scenario” emergency procedures. In each of these “scenarios,” notifying emergency officials, employees and citizens is required by the federal government.

In a recent TV news story titled Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Plant Prepared in Case of Crisis, CodeRED is shown on a list as one of the strategic methods used to keep citizens and employees informed. Following are five key ways to use mass notification for nuclear power plant preparedness and emergency response:

Deliver Disaster Preparedness Information to Citizens

The use of a Mass Notification System (MNS) as a part of your annual Public Education and Awareness Program will prove to be one of the greatest technological assets you have. Periodic disaster preparedness information delivered to citizens residing in the 10 Mile EPZ (Emergency Planning Zone) can be specifically targeted. This will allow you the opportunity to let citizens know they are residing in one of the EPZs, make them aware of the location of evacuation shelters, and share information on how to shelter in place if advised to do so. This communication can also provide citizens with a sense of security that comes from knowing local Public Safety officials are prepared and have an individual concern for their well-being.

Provide Response Notification to Emergency Workers

During a nuclear incident, time is of the essence. You need the support of a reliable and rapid Mass Notification System to activate or alert your critical responders. This can be accomplished by pre-populating notification lists and individual response groups within your MNS for easy access in an emergency situation. Your statistics page will allow you to see who is able to respond, so you can make contingency plans for staffing. Testing these lists monthly will help ensure updates are being captured and awareness is high among your responders.

Deliver Protective Action Recommendations to the Public

The most effective form of emergency notification is the live voice of an authority figure delivered to a citizen’s telephone. Providing information to the public in response to an event is critical. In the case of a nuclear incident, it is equally important to provide continuous Protective Action Recommendations (PAR) during the recovery phase. A Mass Notification System will prove to be the best and most reliable form of targeted information delivery. It is possible that citizens will be sheltering inside their residences leaving phones, text and email messages and mass media as the most effective forms of message delivery.

By creating pre-established EPZs geographically within your MNS mapping component, you will have the option to send PARs to your entire evacuation area or to an individual EPZ as required. Again, through the use of your statistics page, you will be able to see who received the message and who did not, so you can plan for contingent route alerting. Adding text and/or email notifications can also be included in the process as additional communication methods. Periodic testing of your MNS will allow citizens to become accustom to this form of notification and encourage them to add additional contact devices to enhance your system database.

Work in Tandem with Alert and Warning Sirens

A Mass Notification System is the perfect compliment to any outdoor warning device. Sirens may be used for several different alert scenarios so the public will need to know why they are being alerted each time. Therefore, it is extremely important to provide simultaneous information when activating sirens. The most efficient way to do this is to follow the siren warning with a MNS call with the reassurance of a live voice providing the information citizens need to hear.

Siren testing is a requirement, particularly when they are installed for the purpose of warning in case of Nuclear Power Plant incidents. Your MNS should be used to announce siren testing in advance, as well as while the test is being conducted. Your citizens need to be accustomed to the fact that they will receive a voice message when sirens sound. It provides credibility for you and reassurance for them.

Meet and Exceed FEMA / NRC Redundancy Requirements

The addition of a Mass Notification System to alert the public will prove to be a favorable approach to satisfying the current FEMA evaluation requirements to employ multiple notification methods. Adding the use of a MNS to your Radiological Response Plan will significantly enhance your ability to reach a larger portion of the public with your critical message. Working in concert with the present Outdoor Warning Sirens, Route Alerting and Media Announcements, the added use of a MNS will provide a much needed level of credibility to the emergency message.

Used with permission by Emergency Communications Network

World Nuclear News

Energy News

Map of the United States Showing Locations of Operating Nuclear Power Reactors

Find Operating Nuclear Power Reactors by Location or Name

To find information about a particular operating nuclear power reactor that NRC regulates, select that reactor from the following:

You can also Find NRC-Licensed Facility by NRC Region or State.

Map of the United States Showing Locations of Operating Nuclear Power Reactors

Select a triangle showing the location of an operating nuclear power reactor from the map below.

Map of the United States Showing Power Plant Locations

Note that Region IV oversees the Grand Gulf plant in Mississippi (MS), which is part of Region II.

To top of page

Alphabetical List of Operating Nuclear Power Reactors by Name

A - CD - LM - QR - W

Arkansas Nuclear 1
Arkansas Nuclear 2
Beaver Valley 1
Beaver Valley 2
Braidwood 1
Braidwood 2
Browns Ferry 1
Browns Ferry 2
Browns Ferry 3
Brunswick 1
Brunswick 2
Byron 1
Byron 2
Callaway
Calvert Cliffs 1
Calvert Cliffs 2
Catawba 1
Catawba 2
Clinton
Columbia Generating Station
Comanche Peak 1
Comanche Peak 2
Cooper
Crystal River 3

D.C. Cook 1
D.C. Cook 2
Davis-Besse
Diablo Canyon 1
Diablo Canyon 2
Dresden 2
Dresden 3
Duane Arnold
Farley 1
Farley 2
Fermi 2
FitzPatrick
Fort Calhoun
Ginna
Grand Gulf 1
Harris 1
Hatch 1
Hatch 2
Hope Creek 1
Indian Point 2
Indian Point 3
Kewaunee
La Salle 1
La Salle 2
Limerick 1
Limerick 2

McGuire 1
McGuire 2
Millstone 2
Millstone 3
Monticello
Nine Mile Point 1
Nine Mile Point 2
North Anna 1
North Anna 2
Oconee 1
Oconee 2
Oconee 3
Oyster Creek
Palisades
Palo Verde 1
Palo Verde 2
Palo Verde 3
Peach Bottom 2
Peach Bottom 3
Perry 1
Pilgrim 1
Point Beach 1
Point Beach 2
Prairie Island 1
Prairie Island 2
Quad Cities 1
Quad Cities 2

River Bend 1
Robinson 2
Saint Lucie 1
Saint Lucie 2
Salem 1
Salem 2
San Onofre 2
San Onofre 3
Seabrook 1
Sequoyah 1
Sequoyah 2
South Texas 1
South Texas 2
Summer
Surry 1
Surry 2
Susquehanna 1
Susquehanna 2
Three Mile Island 1
Turkey Point 3
Turkey Point 4
Vermont Yankee
Vogtle 1
Vogtle 2
Waterford 3
Watts Bar 1
Wolf Creek 1

Nuclear Prep Video

Estimated Fallout Pattern from Nuclear Air Burst Estimated fallout pattern from nuclear air burst Source: Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute's Medical Effects of Ionizing Radiation Course on CD-ROM (1999) Delayed ionizing radiation dose (fallout) * Produced by fission products and neutron-induced radionuclides in the area around the explosion, especially downwind * Dispersed downwind with the fireball/debris cloud. * As the cloud travels downwind, the cooling and falling radioactive material settles on the ground creating a large swath of deposited material (fallout). * Fallout creates large areas of contamination and the ionizing radiation coming off the fallout which can damage tissues and penetrate through thin walls and glass. * Fallout can also contaminate the soil, food and water supply o Prohibitions against eating food and drinking water from affected areas will be issued

World Health Organization Statement

FAQs: Japan nuclear concerns


14 March 2011

Public health actions

Which public health actions are most important to take?

  • In the case of a nuclear accident, protective actions may be implemented within a radius around the site.
  • These actions depend on the estimated exposure (i.e., the amount of radioactivity released in the atmosphere and the prevailing meteorological conditions such as wind and rain. The actions include steps such as evacuation of people within a certain distance of the plant, providing shelter to reduce exposure and providing iodine pills for people to take to reduce the risk of thyroid cancer).
  • If warranted, steps such as restricting the consumption of vegetables and dairy products produced in the vicinity of the power plant can reduce exposure.
  • Only competent authorities who have conducted a careful analysis of the emergency situation are in a position to recommend which of these public health measures should be taken.

How can I protect myself?

  • Keep you and your family informed by obtaining accurate and authoritative information (for example, information from authorities delivered by radio, TV or the Internet) and following your government's instructions.
  • The decision to stockpile or take potassium iodide tablets should be based on information provided by national health authorities who will be in the best position to determine if there is enough evidence to warrant these steps.

What are potassium iodide pills?

  • In the setting of a nuclear power plant accident, potassium iodide pills are given to saturate the thyroid gland and prevent the uptake of radioactive iodine. When given before or shortly after exposure, this step can reduce the risk of cancer in the long term.
  • Potassium iodide pills are not "radiation antidotes". They do not protect against external radiation, or against any other radioactive substances besides radioactive iodine. They may also cause medical complications for some individuals such as persons with poorly functioning kidney and therefore taking potassium iodide should be started only when there is a clear public health recommendation to take this step.

Can pregnant women take potassium iodide pills?

  • Pregnant women should take potassium iodide pills only when instructed by the competent authorities because the thyroid of a pregnant woman accumulates radioactive iodine at a higher rate than other adults and because the thyroid of the fetus is also blocked by giving potassium iodide pills to the mother

Explosions, Military Helicopters Near Blacked Out Radiation Zone

Eyewitnesses on the ground near the media-blacked-out elevated radiation zone near the border of Indiana and Michigan, where radiation levels hundreds of times higher than normal were quickly removed from public viewing by the EPA, are now sending in a large number of photos and videos documenting massive explosions accompanied by unmarked helicopters, A-10 Thunderbolts, and military personnel. These reports come after a Department of Homeland Security hazmat fleet was sent out to the location after ‘years’ of inactivity.


Explosions, Military Helicopters Near Blacked Out Radiation Zone

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