Nuclear Emergency Planning and Preparedness 1 Nuclear Emergency

Nuclear Emergency Planning and Preparedness 1

Nuclear Emergency Plans Scary Stuff ! or is it ? Malcolm Lloyd Dubber MPhil. , CSci. , CChem. , MRSC. , FEPS. Malcolm Dubber Consultancy Ltd for Emergency Planning Society Wales Conference 14 -15 June 2018

Why are people frightened by the words – NUCLEAR and RADIATION ? Nuclear explosion? Hiroshima & Nagasaki An Atomic Bomb type of explosion CANNOT occur in a Nuclear Power Plant The science is totally different Radiation is a hazard Have we been brought up on fear!

Nuclear Emergency Plans are in two parts: On-site Emergency Plan Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Different levels of Nuclear Emergency INES 4

INES International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale for Event Communication 5

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“Hey Alf: where’s the train? ” 7

Nuclear Site Licence Condition 11 (LC 11) • LC 11(1): Licensee shall make arrangements for dealing with an accident or emergency on site and its effects • LC 11(2): Submit to ONR the emergency arrangements for approval • LC 11(3): No alteration or amendment to be made without approval of ONR • LC 11(4): Arrangements that require assistance or co-operation of others, e. g. Local Authority and Emergency Services, must be consulted • LC 11(5): Arrangements shall be rehearsed periodically or as required by ONR • LC 11(6): Licensee shall ensure that all emergency response employees are properly instructed in their duties, use of equipment and precautions to be taken 8

Key difference to other Emergency Planning Arrangements • On-site Radiation Dose to workers Current Dose Limit is 5 µSv per annum • Radiation protection is based on 3 principles: Time Distance Shielding Dose v Contamination 9

A Nuclear Emergency in a Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) How is a nuclear / radiation emergency managed? • • Understanding what the NPP does ! Dedicated trained people Dedicated protected facilities Dedicated off-site support 10

Essential Features 1 Protected Control Room Protected designated Emergency Control Centre (ECC) Protected back-up (auxiliary) ECC Identified Evacuation Routes & Personnel Sheltering Established Access / Egress routes for emergency vehicles & teams, including off-site support services • Control Points (including Security) • Medical and Decontamination facilities • Emergency Response Personnel Rest Centres • • • 11

Essential Features 2 Laboratory facilities (backup off-site) Health Physics facilities (backup off site) Family Information Centre (HR, possibly off-site) News / Media Centre (off-site) Public Information Centre (off-site) Communications Centre (independent of: ECC, Media Centre, and no public access) * • * DIRECT LINK TO CESC, IAEA, COBR • • • 12

CESC Central Emergency Support Centre Based in Barnwood Gloucester • CESC has on-call scientists and engineers to provide technical support / advice to the Nuclear Emergency Site Emergency Control Centre and the Reactor Control Room. • These experts are drawn from across the nuclear industry, including contractors and defence. 13

On-site Emergency Preparedness • Organisational structure • Emergency Response Personnel ALL properly trained and assessed periodically • SQEP (Suitably Qualified & Experienced Person) Training Records maintained (ONR Licence requirement) • EXERCISES to test overall and individual elements of Emergency Response Arrangements EXERCISES DO NOT TEST PERSONNEL 14

Common Elements of an Emergency Plan • Adequate Resources: Capacity to respond: a management decision • Operational Management: Shift Change-over, reserves and rested! Neighbour NPP support • STRESS: Affects ALL Emergency Personnel and others Management of Stress! • Exercises and Incidents – “Hot Debriefing” Publish “Lessons Identified”! 15

Chernobyl, Ukraine 1986 My safest distance ! 2005 16

New Approach to Emergency Planning and Disaster Relief • How can we apply this to Emergency Planning? • Integrated Emergency Management is a start but it must encompass those areas that seemingly do not feature in emergency response, e. g. provision of fuel for transport. What use is an ambulance, fire fighting vehicle, bus or truck for conveying food, medical supplies, and equipment if there is no fuel available (or drivers!). • The logistics of supply, storage and distribution become vital and should be put at the forefront of emergency plans. • This is a time for CHANGE and YOU must do it ! 17

Conclusion • Safe operations of a NPP is at the heart of Nuclear Emergency Planning and Preparedness. • In an emergency the aim is to re-establish the generating power of the NPP. • Do we really understand a Nuclear Emergency Plan? • Is the fear of Nuclear and Radiation so great as to prevent us from thinking logically? • Perhaps the answer is before us: Interoperability of Critical Infrastructure It fails in an emergency because it doesn’t work effectively under normal conditions. 18

Keep calm and carry on 19

Nuclear Emergency Plans Thank you for participating Questions ? MLDubber@me. com +44 (0) 7796 260925 20