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How We Respond to an EmergencyIn response to an event at an NRC-licensed facility or an event involving NRC-licenced material that could threaten public health and safety or the environment, NRC activates its incident response program at its Headquarters Operations Center and one of its four Regional Incident Response Centers (Region I in King of Prussia, PA; Region II in Atlanta, GA; Region III in Lisle, IL; and Region IV in Arlington, TX). NRC's highest priority is to provide expert consultation, support, and assistance to State and local public safety officials responding to the event. Once the NRC incident response program is activated, teams of specialists are assembled at the Headquarters Operations Center and Regional Incident Response Center to obtain and evaluate event information and to assess the potential impact of the event on public health and safety and the environment.Scientists and engineers analyze the event and evaluate possible recovery strategies. Meanwhile, other experts evaluate the effectiveness of protective actions that have been recommended by the licensee and implemented by State and local officials to minimize the impact on public health and safety and the environment. Communications with the news media, State, other Federal agencies, the Congress, and the White House are coordinated through the Headquarters Operations Center. As described in the Nuclear/Radiological Incident Annex to the National Response Framework If event conditions warrant, NRC will immediately dispatch a Site Team, consisting of technical experts and a Site Team Director, from the Regional Office to the plant site. An Executive Team will be assembled in the Headquarters Operations Center to lead the response while the Site Team travels to the plant location which may take several hours. The
Executive Team is typically headed by the Chairman of the NRC or
a Commissioner acting as Chairman. Once the Site Team is in place,
authority to manage event-related activities is turned over to
that team. The Site Team serves as the NRC's eyes and ears on
site allowing a firsthand assessment of the situation and face-to-face
communications with all participants. The Headquarters Operations Center continues to provide round-the-clock logistical and technical support throughout the response.
Examples would be when NRC is in response to a hurricane that threatens
one or more facilities, or in response to a specific terrorist
threat. For a more complete description of our
Incident Response Program, see NRC
Incident Response Plan Related topics below provide additional information regarding emergency response. |
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