SITUATION REPORT

ABOUT RERP

In response to the March 1979 accident at the Three Mile Island Nuclear Reactor, there was an increased Federal oversight of commercial nuclear power plants. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) continued to regulate the plants but the Federal Emergency Management Agency was tasked with evaluating and assisting state and local agencies in their efforts to respond in the event of an accident at a plant in their vicinity. The Vermont RERP program provides support for the Vermont towns around the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station in Vernon, Vermont.

There are six towns in Vermont that fall in the 10-mile Emergency Planning Zone: Brattleboro, Dummerston, Guilford, Halifax, Marlboro, and Vernon. All of these towns receive training and planning assistance for a potential incident at Vermont Yankee.

The Vermont RERP Program has a large number of plans and procedures for state, local, and private organizations that would respond if an accident occurred at Vermont Yankee. There are several thousand people who might respond to a major accident. This program provides the planning, training, and equipment necessary to facilitate such a response. The response is not to deal with the accident directly but to protect, shelter, or evacuate residents and visitors from threatened areas. The program is not responsible for the safe operation of the power plant; instead, it is prepared to respond to the effects of an accident should they threaten the public outside of the boundaries of the plant.

This image shows the 10 mile EPZ around the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station.

Planning

The Radiological Emergency Response Program employs two full time planners. The program staff prepare, review, revise, publish and distribute over 100 emergency response plans for many response organizations, response facilities, and special facilities such as schools, child care centers, nursing homes, and hospitals, as well as other critical facilities that would respond in the event of a radiological incident.

Coordination

Program staff coordinate nuclear emergency plans and procedures, and facilitate the involvement of participant organizations in the preparedness process. Each year there are a number of improvement issues involving multiple organizations, federal agencies, and the states of Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, and Vermont. The Radiological Emergency Response Plan is instrumental in resolving these issues through collaboration with the participating entities. Entities coordinated with include the Vermont State Police, Vermont Department of Health, the Vermont Hazardous Materials Response Team, the Agency of Natural Resources, Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Nuclear regulatory Commission, New Hampshire Homeland Security and Emergency Management, the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency, and many more.

Training

Our comprehensive radiological training program ensures that first responders and officials are properly prepared for a radiological emergency. Program staff plan, prepare, conduct, and evaluate drills, exercises, and training to ensure state and local responders and officials respond appropriately. The training group consists of a full time training coordinator and adjunct instructors, all of which are well versed in radiological issues. For more information click here.

Preparedness

Each participating state and local organization possesses equipment and systems that must be immediately available in the event of a nuclear incident at Vermont Yankee. The RERP staff ensures that all program equipment is inventoried, inspected and tested on a regular basis. Response organizations also request funds from the RERP program to purchase new or replacement radiological incident equipment.

The RERP program staff coordinates preparedness issues with a number of radiological response facilities, such as town Emergency Operations Centers (EOCs), the State EOC, the State Warning Point in Waterbury (State Police Headquarters Dispatch), and the Health Department Laboratory in Burlington.