MANAGING EMERGENCIES RELATED TO
THE PILGRIM NUCLEAR POWER STATION:
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts and Town of Plymouth officials have the overall responsiblity of deciding and implementing the appropriate protective actions for the general public during a nuclear power plant radiological emergency. Public Safety officials are responsible for notifying the public to take protective actions, such as evacuation, sheltering in place or taking potassium iodide pills as a supplement. State and local officials base their decisions on the protective action recommendations by the nuclear power plant operator, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and their own state Emergency Management and Public Health organizations.
During emergency situations, Town of Plymouth Public Safety and Government officials will exercise the command and control of emergency response elements through the incident commander on scene and the Emergency Operations Center, in coordination with State and Federal Authorities. The Emergency Operations Center assists in coordinating with all appropriate departments/agencies to ensure operational readiness and prompt response. An Emergency Classification system is a set of plant conditions which indicate a level of risk to the public. Nuclear power plants and research and test reactors use the following four Emergency Classifications:
Notification of Unusual Event - Under this category, events are in process or have occurred which indicate potential degradation in the level of safety of the plant. No release of radioactive material requiring offsite response or monitoring is expected unless further degradation occurs.
Alert - If an alert is declared, events are in process or have occurred which involve an actual or potential substantial degradation in the level of safety of the plant. Any releases of radioactive material from the plant are expected to be limited to a small fraction of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) protective action guides (PAGs).
Site Area Emergency - A site area emergency involves events in process or which have occurred that result in actual or likely major failures of plant functions needed for protection of the public. Any releases of radioactive material are not expected to exceed the EPA PAGs except near the site boundary.
General Emergency - A general emergency involves actual or imminent substantial core damage or melting of reactor fuel with the potential for loss of containment integrity. Radioactive releases during a general emergency can reasonably be expected to exceed the EPA PAGs for more than the immediate site area.
|
Please review the information provided through our web links and contact the EOC with any questions or concerns. Additionally, please review the Emergency Response Information provide through the Emergency Preparedness Public Information Calendar distributed annually. This information is provided to assist you, your family and the community with understanding its role in the event of an emergency incident at the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station.
OEM Announcements:
NOAA All Hazard/Weather Radios:
In 2007, the National Weather Service reported that severe weather caused approximately $12.2 Billion in total damages and 515 weather related fatalities in the United States. Protecting your home and family through the purchase of a NOAA Weather / S.A.M.E Alert Radio is a small investment to ensure you have critical knowledge you'll need in the event of an emergency. Learn more about how they operate and why you should have one by logging on the National Weather Service All-Hazard Radio weblink: http://www.nws.noaa.gov/nwr/allhazard.htm
 (Community Coastal Zone Residents): The Town of Plymouth and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts are working to provide coastal residents with information on hazard awareness and mitigation programs for the community. If you live within a flood hazard or coastal zone, take some time to review the materials coordinated through the Commonwealth's Office of Coastal Zone Management StormSmart Coasts program and provided online at:[Link] http://www.mass.gov/czm/stormsmart/index.htm
(Potassium Iodide Update): Residents can now contact the Plymouth EOC directly for no-cost Potassium Iodide Family Kits. Want to know more? Click on the "Potassium Iodide" link above for up to date information on KI.
(Verizon Specialized Telephone Equipment Program): Residents requiring specialized equipment for communication due to a medical condition or impairment can contact Verizon for information on the Commonwealth of Massachusetts's Specialized Telephone Equipment Program.
Call the Verizon Center for Customers with Disabilities:
| 
