Chapter 4: Notifications and response

4.1 Initial notification

4.1.1 Under agreement with the provincial government, Fermi 2 shall notify the PEOC and the Town of Amherstburg via the designated contact points as soon as conditions arise at the reactor facility, which require such initial notification under the criteria described in Table 4.1 and, as incorporated in facility procedures.

4.1.2 Fermi 2 shall complete this initial notification, including a confirmatory telephone notification, to the PEOC within 15 minutes of classification of the emergency.

4.1.3 Michigan State shall issue both the initial notification and all subsequent notifications to the PEOC.

4.1.4 The emergency classification system followed by Fermi 2 and the corresponding initial provincial response levels to be adopted in Ontario are shown in Table 4.1. This emergency classification system is used by the station for initial notification and subsequently, throughout the course of the accident, for conveying information on onsite status to the offsite authorities.

4.1.5 The standard notification message, via the Nuclear Event Notification form and the Nuclear Event Plant Technical Data form, from Fermi 2 shall contain the following information relevant to Ontario:

1. Class of emergency (see Table 4.1)
2. Reason for Classification
3. Status of radiological release
4. Protective Action Recommendations for the State of Michigan
5. Meteorological Data (including the wind direction)
6. Type of Release: Airborne, Waterborne or Surface Spill
7. Radiological Release Data (Actual or Potential)
8. Calculated and measured offsite doses

4.1.6 A General Emergency notification (received by the PEOC Duty Officer) may result in the initiation of off-site protective measures. (See Table 4.3)

4.1.7 In accordance with regulatory US NRC requirements, the Fermi 2 operator shall continue to report the event classification and recommended default protective measures on a regular basis throughout the emergency to the Michigan State EOC who in turn will provide regular reporting to the designated provincial contact points. The PEOC commander should consider protective action recommendations from Fermi 2 in making protective action decisions for Ontarians.

4.1.8 Contact points

1. Contact points and phone numbers shall be pre-determined and routinely validated to ensure availability.
2. The provincial emergency contact point shall be the PEOC duty officer.
3. The following municipal contact points shall be set out in the municipal plans:
   1. A contact point to receive an initial notification anytime, 24 hours per day, seven days per week.
   2. A municipal emergency response staff person who can be contacted anytime 24 hours per day, seven days per week for passage of information and monitoring of the situation following the initiation of a notification.

4.2 Initial provincial and municipal response

4.2.1 The initial provincial response to a notification from Fermi 2 shall depend on the classification (and other relevant information) contained in the notification message (see Table 4.1).

4.2.2 Within 15 minutes of the receipt of an initial notification, the PEOC Commander, or delegate, shall decide on the initial provincial response level to be adopted and inform the municipal contact point(s). This level should normally be the one linked to the classification of the notification received (see Table 4.2) unless another level is judged to be more appropriate.

4.2.3 The PEOC commander or delegate may adopt another provincial response level as appropriate due to operational considerations. All stakeholders shall be notified of any such change.

4.2.4 If the provincial response level is already set higher for a different emergency than what would be required under this plan, the PEOC commander shall include the following information in their notification to municipal contact points:

1. The provincial response level that would normally be directed for this nuclear emergency notification, for the purposes of undertaking initial municipal response actions as described in Table 4.2 and municipal emergency plans;
2. The provincial response level that has been adopted for the other emergency(ies).

4.2.5 The initial (and any subsequent) response level to be adopted by the municipalities and other organizations shall be communicated by the PEOC commander (see Paragraph 4.2.2 above) to all stakeholders as soon as reasonably achievable. The general municipal response actions for each level is outlined in Table 4.2; the specific response shall be described in the municipal plans.

4.3 Provincial response levels

4.3.1 The provincial response level adopted depends on the notification category received from Fermi 2 (see Table 4.1).

4.3.2 Unusual Event and Alert

1. In the event of an Unusual Event notification from Fermi 2 the provincial response level adopted should be Routine Monitoring, unless the PEOC commander decides otherwise.
2. In the event of an Alert notification from Fermi 2, the provincial response level adopted should be Enhanced Monitoring, unless the PEOC commander decides otherwise.
3. In these cases, the notifications and level of staffing shall proceed according to Table 4.2, unless the PEOC commander decides otherwise.
4. The PEOC commander shall ensure the applicable stakeholders are notified when a response to an Unusual Event or Alert has been terminated.

4.3.3 Site Area Emergency

A Site Area Emergency should normally result in a provincial response level of Partial Activation (see Figure 4.1), unless the PEOC commander decides otherwise.

4.3.4 General Emergency

A General Emergency notification from Fermi 2 shall result in a provincial response level of Full Activation (see Figure 4.1) as it denotes that an emission is possible resulting from core degradation or melting.

4.3.5 The remainder of this chapter therefore deals with the operational response to an accident at Fermi 2 which results in, or has the potential to result in, an emission of radioactive material to the atmosphere, and therefore requires a partial or full activation response.

4.3.6 The partial and full activation response to a nuclear emergency is described below in relation to the three successive phases defined by the PNERP Master Plan, Section 5.9.

4.4 Internal notifications

4.4.1 Each Canadian organization or agency required to respond to a nuclear emergency shall have an internal notification system to inform all concerned staff of the imminence or occurrence of an emergency under this plan, and of the appropriate response to the notification.

4.4.2 Each Canadian jurisdiction and organization receiving notification of the provincial response level of partial or full activation, shall issue an appropriate internal notification to its units and individuals who are required to respond. The notification shall indicate the provincial response level to be adopted.

4.4.3 The PEOC and each Canadian jurisdiction and organization required to respond and issue an internal or external notification (see Section 4.5 below) shall prepare a notification procedure and list of recipients.

4.5 External notifications

4.5.1 Additional organizations or agencies which might be affected by a nuclear emergency under this plan, or which may be required to assist in responding to it, should be notified at an appropriate stage by their links in the Emergency Response Organization. As such, upon adoption of an activation response (partial or full), external notifications shall be carried out as detailed below. The notification must indicate the level of activation being adopted.

4.5.2 PEOC notifications

1. At Routine and Enhanced Monitoring, the PEOC will notify external stakeholders according to procedure.
2. If the PEOC is to be activated (whether partially or fully), then the PEOC commander shall issue an appropriate notification (including an indication of the level of activation) to at least one pre-designated contact point in each of the following jurisdictions and organizations:
   1. PEOC staff
   2. Provincial Emergency Information Section staff
   3. Town of Amherstburg
   4. Host municipalities
   5. Fermi 2 Nuclear Power Plant
   6. State of Michigan Emergency Operations Centre
   7. Each provincial-level organization required to respond to the emergency^{footnote 6[6]}
   8. The federal Government Operations Centre and the Federal Nuclear Emergency Plan (FNEP) duty officer who shall then complete the notifications listed in Paragraph 4.5.3 below.
   9. The Province of Québec (Sûreté du Québec)
   10. The State of New York Emergency Management Agency
   11. The State of Ohio Emergency Management Agency
   12. Canadian Coast Guard (which shall notify the US Coast Guard under agreed protocols)
   13. Cision/National Alert Aggregation and Dissemination System (NAADS)
   14. Bell Canada
   15. Wireless phone providers

4.5.3 As directed by Health Canada, the federal Government Operations Centre shall notify:

1. Natural Resources Canada (NRCan)
2. Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP)
3. Privy Council Office (PCO)
4. Transport Canada (TC)
5. Department of National Defence (DND)
6. CNSC duty officer
7. Global Affairs Canada (GAC)
8. Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA)
9. Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA)
10. Indigenous Services Canada (ISC)
11. International organizations under existing agreements, conventions and departmental emergency plans.

4.5.4 Other agencies and organizations shall be notified by the following:

1. Transport Canada shall notify the following:
   1. Air Traffic Control
   2. CN Rail
   3. CP Rail
   4. VIA Rail
2. Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs shall notify the Dairy Farmers of Ontario.
3. Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services shall notify the Red Cross, Ontario Zone.
4. Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks shall notify the Essex Region Conservation Authority.
5. Municipal plans shall include provisions for the following external notifications:
   1. Town of Essex
   2. City of Windsor
   3. Town of LaSalle
   4. Boblo Island Homeowners Association
   5. Windsor-Essex County Health Unit
   6. Greater Essex District School Board
   7. Windsor-Essex Catholic District School Board
   8. Le Conseil Scolaire Des Ecoles Catholique du Sud-Ouest
   9. Essex Region Conservation Authority
   10. Local Industries
   11. Essex Terminal Railway
   12. Essex-Windsor Emergency Medical Services (Paramedic services)
   13. local utilities (e.g., hydro, gas, water)
   14. local branches of voluntary organizations

4.6 Early phase response

4.6.1 The early phase:

1. Begins with an initial notification of an emergency prior to, or during a radioactive release.
2. Lasts anywhere from hours to days and may involve the implementation of protective actions (see Table 4.3).
3. Ends when the radioactive release is brought under control and reliable environmental radiation monitoring is available to be used for protective action decision-making. At this time, the early phase transitions to the intermediate phase.

4.6.2 The operational response in this phase differs depending on whether the initial provincial response level is partial or full activation.

4.6.3 Partial activation

1. A PEOC partial activation response (see Figure 4.1) is adopted when it is expected that a radioactive release will occur at some point in the future and therefore protective or operational measures (other than monitoring and assessment of the situation) are not likely to be required within 36 hours.
2. When the PEOC is partially activated, initial actions include:
   1. Notification of the emergency management organization and set up and full staffing of the PEOC and the municipal EOCs to monitor and assess the situation on a continuous basis.
   2. Activation of the ministry EOCs and Unified Transportation Coordination Centre and staffing.
   3. Activation of the Emergency Information Centres with staffing at an appropriate level in person and/or virtually. The Provincial Chief Emergency Information Officer (PCEIO) shall activate the Provincial Emergency Information Section (PEIS) and deploy provincial staff to municipal Emergency Information Centres as required. Refer to Section 6.4 for further details on emergency public information.
   4. All emergency response personnel not immediately required should be placed on standby. This provision should ensure that personnel can be quickly contacted when needed to report to their duty stations.
   5. Other municipal emergency centres should be readied to a level where they can become fully operational without undue delay, when required. Specific levels of readiness shall be described in the municipal plans.
   6. Consideration shall be given to issuing an emergency bulletin(s) and news release(s).
3. The PEOC Scientific Section shall provide technical advice and assistance as appropriate to the PEOC commander on information provided by the reactor facility and/or the State of Michigan EOC.
4. PEOC Plans Section shall make recommendations to PEOC Command based on input from other PEOC sections in regard to any deviation from the default protective actions listed in Table 4.2.
5. The PEOC commander, in consultation with the PEOC Command Section and select stakeholder organizations (including MOH, designated municipalities and others deemed appropriate), shall consider and decide on the need for operational measures as well as future protective actions and ensure that all stakeholders are so informed.
6. If the emergency situation is resolved and the potential for off-site consequences is eliminated, the PEOC commander should downgrade the provincial response level, as appropriate.
7. Alternatively, the PEOC commander should upgrade the response level to full activation when a radioactive emission seems likely to occur in 36 hours or less or, as deemed appropriate.

4.6.4 Full activation

1. A PEOC full activation response should be adopted as a result of:
   1. An initial notification from Fermi 2 of a General Emergency, or
   2. An escalation of an existing emergency situation, where an emission is now expected in 36 hours or less
2. The following actions shall be initiated upon adoption of a full activation response:
   1. All emergency operations centres, Emergency Information Centres, Reception Centres, Evacuation Centres, Emergency Worker Centres and Monitoring and Decontamination Units are fully staffed and operational.
   2. All emergency response personnel from i above immediately report to their places of duty.
   3. Public alerting is initiated and emergency bulletins issued concurrently (see Sections 6.2 and 6.3).
   4. Operational directives (or emergency orders) issued for protective actions per c) or d) below, as appropriate.
   5. PEOC commander advises government of the need for a provincial emergency declaration (see PNERP Master Plan Section 1.5.1).
   6. PCEIO shall consider establishing a Joint Information Centre as necessary (Paragraph 6.4.3 e)).
3. Where the full activation response level is adopted as a result of an initial notification from Fermi 2 of a General Emergency requiring protective actions (see Paragraph 4.6.4 a) i. above), the actions noted in Table 4.3 shall be implemented, unless there are good reasons for modifying the response. This default response is undertaken due to the potential lack of detailed information or plant data together with a lack of available time for analysis.
4. Where an escalating event results in the upgrade to a full activation response (see Paragraph 4.6.4 a) ii above), the PEOC Command protective action decision making will be based on Table 4.3.

4.6.5 PEOC technical assessments for Fermi 2

Ontario does not normally assess the reactor hazard in developing its own protective measures for a nuclear emergency at Fermi 2. Protective measure decisions made by the PEOC commander should mirror the protective actions ordered by the State of Michigan for US jurisdictions (refer to Table 4.3).

4.6.6 Early phase protective action decision-making

1. The PEOC Planning Section shall undertake an evaluation of the State of Michigan protective actions for US jurisdictions, taking into account operational and public policy considerations, and shall prepare a preliminary assessment regarding the need to implement these measures, proposed timings, and the area within which these measures should be taken in Ontario.
2. These assessments shall be continually updated and, as soon as a reasonably certain picture of the evacuation distance (and other protective measures) is achieved, the PEOC, through PEOC Command, shall consult with applicable stakeholders (e.g., the Town of Amherstburg, host and support municipalities, federal departments, etc.).
3. PEOC Command decisions on protective actions shall be based on the protective actions undertaken by Michigan State EOC (see Table 4.3) unless the operational situation requires alternative measures.
4. Command decisions shall be communicated to the emergency response organization and the applicable emergency bulletin(s) shall be issued.

4.7 Intermediate phase response

4.7.1 The intermediate phase begins once the radioactive release has been brought under control and reliable environmental radiation monitoring is available for use in protective action decision-making.

4.7.2 Following the radioactive emission, the PEOC Scientific Section's input into the protective action decision-making process shall be based on the tangible results of environmental radiation monitoring.

4.7.3 The PEOC Scientific Section shall undertake, and continuously update, the following assessments:

1. Off-site environmental radiation monitoring undertaken by the Environmental Radiation and Assurance Monitoring Group shall produce a picture of the contamination situation.
2. The PEOC Scientific Section chief shall make technical recommendations to PEOC Command for protective action (exposure and ingestion control measures) based on the results of the actual contamination levels as compared against the Operational Intervention Levels (OILs) (per the PNERP Master Plan, Annex E, Appendix 2).
3. The PEOC Scientific Section chief shall make recommendations to PEOC Command regarding sector safety status on behalf of emergency workers operating in the area.
4. The intermediate phase operations of the PEOC Scientific Section shall be detailed in the Scientific Section procedures.

4.7.4 Intermediate phase protective action decision-making

1. The PEOC Planning Section shall undertake an assessment of these Scientific Section technical recommendations, in light of operational and public policy considerations, and shall prepare recommendations for the PEOC commander regarding the protective measures, areas where they should be implemented, and implementation timings.
2. These assessments shall be continually updated and, as soon as a reasonably certain picture of the evacuation (and other protective measures) distance is achieved, the PEOC commander shall advise all stakeholders of the protective action strategy to be undertaken. If time is available, the PEOC commander shall undertake prior consultation with applicable stakeholders on the protective action strategy recommendations.
3. Planning for the management of radioactive waste (see Section 6.11) generated by the emergency should preferably begin during the intermediate phase.

4.8 Transition to the recovery phase

4.8.1 During the recovery phase actions will commence to restore the affected area to pre-emergency conditions and to scale back the emergency response organization.

4.8.2 As there may not be a clear distinction between phases, with emergency response operations occurring in all three, planning for recovery should begin as soon as practical.

4.8.3 Stakeholder recovery plans should include measures to address the following as applicable to their organization:

1. Recovery organization structure
2. On-going population monitoring and medical management
3. Long-term relocation
4. Resettlement and return of evacuees
5. Long-term support for those living in contaminated areas
6. Decontamination and reconstruction of property damaged during the emergency
7. Economic impact issues and improvement plans

4.8.4 Stakeholder recovery plans should be prepared in advance and conform to the provincial recovery plan.

Figure 4.1: Initial provincial protective action strategy response to a site area or general emergency notification

Note: Some actions may be implemented simultaneously, although they are shown here sequentially.

• Fermi 2 Notification to the PEOC
  • Fermi 2 Notification Classification:
    General Emergency
    • Provincial Response Level:
      Full Activation
    • PEOC determine protective actions based on Table 4.3
    • Initiate Public Alerting and Issue Emergency Bulletin(s) for protective actions
    • Consider Declaration of a Provincial Emergency
    • PEOC considers other precautionary or protective measures
    • Issue Emergency Bulletin for other precautionary measures or modify protective measures, if appropriate
    • Continue to monitor and assess event
  • Fermi 2 Notification Classification:
    Site Area Emergency
    • Provincial Response Level:
      Partial Activation
    • PEOC considers precautionary and protective measures (as appropriate)
    • PEOC consider public alerting and issuing Emergency Bulletin
    • Monitor and assess event

Download printer-friendly version of Figure 4.1 (JPEG, 71 KB).

Table 4.1: Emergency classification system — Fermi 2 Nuclear Power Plant

Table 4.2: Initial provincial and municipal response

Table 4.3: Guidelines for implementing protective measures in Ontario