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Technical note: the Federal Radiological Emergency Response Plan and the St. Lucie Exercise

Journal Article · · Nucl. Saf.; (United States)
OSTI ID:6815325

Utilities and state and local governments are required to plan their response for areas around a nuclear power plant that might be affected by an accident at the plant. Federal agencies that might assist in the emergency response have, in the past, operated under a series of statutory requirements, the 1961 Interagency Radiological Assistance Plan (IRAP), and memorandums of understanding. Although utilities and state and local governments can respond effectively, as judged by their plans and exercises, they have not worked with exercises of a full-scale federal response. The development, extensive testing during an actual power-plant exercise, revision, and subsequent publication of the new Federal Radiological Emergency Response Plan (FRERP) mark a significant advance in federal nuclear emergency preparedness. The plan addresses all types of peacetime radiological emergencies. These may include accidents at fixed nuclear facilities (including power reactors), transportation accidents, or other types of nuclear accidents, such as reentry of a nuclear-powered satellite. The FRERP was developed through an iterative process of review and preliminary exercises held to test the basic concepts of the plan and to identify the interactions between the agencies that are necessary for a coordinated response. Deficiencies in the plan that were pinpointed in the preliminary exercises were corrected. This exercise process culminated in nuclear disaster drills at Florida Power and Light Company's St. Lucie Power Plant in March 1984.

Research Organization:
Oak Ridge National Lab., TN
OSTI ID:
6815325
Journal Information:
Nucl. Saf.; (United States), Journal Name: Nucl. Saf.; (United States) Vol. 26:4; ISSN NUSAA
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English