(Reference: Section 3.2.10)

1.0 Program Objective

1.1 The objective of a nuclear and radiological emergency public awareness and education program is to:

  1. a)Ensure that emergency information is made available to everyone living and working within the Detailed Planning Zones of reactor facilities, including residents, businesses and institutions, regarding the actions they should take to effectively protect themselves prior to, and in the event of, a nuclear emergency.
  2. b)Support municipal efforts to ensure that emergency preparedness information about the various ingestion control measures that may be required in a nuclear emergency is made available to residents, businesses, institutions, and agricultural producers within the Ingestion Planning Zones of reactor facilities.

1.2 Ensure that the Ontario public is made aware of the planning and preparedness in place to respond to all types of nuclear and radiological emergencies.

2.0 Program Requirement

2.1 A public awareness and education program shall be implemented in Ontario for the areas surrounding each reactor facility (Annex A).

2.2 Public education programs shall be co-ordinated by the Office of the Fire Marshal & Emergency Management (OFMEM) in close coordination with reactor facilities, Designated Municipalities and other stakeholders as appropriate.

2.3 Nuclear emergency public awareness and education program messages shall conform to the objectives and requirements of the PNERP.

2.4 A nuclear emergency public awareness and education subcommittee shall be formed for each reactor facility. A single subcommittee may address both the Pickering and Darlington Nuclear Generating Stations.

2.5 The membership of the nuclear emergency public awareness and education subcommittee should include, but is not limited to representatives from:

  1. the reactor facility operator
  2. Designated Municipalities
  3. Designated Host Municipalities
  4. MOHLTC
  5. OMAFRA
  6. OFMEM

2.6 Nuclear emergency public awareness and education subcommittees shall meet regularly and report annually to the Nuclear Emergency Management Coordinating Committee.

2.7 The public awareness and education program for the area surrounding each reactor facility should be documented as a strategic plan with a supporting action plan and program objectives. This documentation should be reviewed annually and updated as required by the subcommittees.

2.8 These programs should ensure that key nuclear emergency public awareness and education messages reach designated recipients with a regular frequency of at least once per year.

2.9 Nuclear emergency public awareness and education program activities should be ongoing throughout the year, utilizing social media and other public alerting tools to promote awareness.

3.0 Responsibilities

3.1 Nuclear emergency public awareness and education programs shall be designed, delivered and reviewed through the subcommittee structure outlined in Section 2.5 above.

3.2 Municipal nuclear emergency plans shall include provisions for partnership with the province and reactor facility operators in the development and delivery of education programs.

3.3 Reactor facilities, pursuant to federal licensing requirements for providing off-site assistance, shall form partnerships with the province and Designated Municipalities in the development and delivery of public awareness and education plans and programs.

4.0 Program Recipients

4.1 The nuclear public awareness and education program shall target the following audiences:

  1. a)residents, businesses and institutions in the Detailed Planning Zone of the reactor facility
  2. b)agricultural producers within the Ingestion Planning Zone of the reactor facility
  3. c)other target audiences (e.g. vulnerable populations, commercial, industrial, institutional and recreational populations)

5.0 Program Content

5.1 Nuclear emergency public awareness and education programs shall emphasize that while it is unlikely that a nuclear emergency will occur in Ontario, being prepared in advance and knowing what actions to take will better protect the personal safety of Ontario residents.

5.2 Nuclear emergency public awareness and education programs shall provide sufficient information to the recipients to enable them to effectively protect themselves in a nuclear emergency. As a minimum, this shall include:

  1. Information on the possible radiological and non-radiological hazards including short-term and potential long-term effects.
  2. How they should prepare, what to expect and how to respond during a nuclear emergency.
  3. Identification of the Detailed Planning and Ingestion Planning Zones around each reactor facility.
  4. The methods by which the public will be notified of a nuclear emergency.
  5. The protective actions the public could be advised to take in a nuclear emergency (e.g., shelter-in-place, evacuate, take KI pills).
  6. Details on KI pill pre-distribution and availability during an emergency as well as the benefits, risks and usage instructions.
  7. The various ingestion control measures that agricultural producers may be required to implement in a nuclear emergency.
  8. Information on how the needs of vulnerable populations will be met.
  9. Where and how to access additional information and advice about general emergency preparedness actions the public can take to prepare for all emergencies (e.g., emergency survival kit, public alerting).

6.0 Program Delivery

6.1 The delivery of the program shall, as far as practical, ensure that:

  1. All those who should receive the information, do in fact receive it.
  2. Information provided is in an easily understandable form that is readily accessible to all members of the public including online.
  3. Information is provided in a form that is readily accessible when needed.
  4. Information is updated at least annually.
  5. Newcomers into the target area, transients, and residents who have misplaced the information, can obtain hard copies.
  6. Periodic reminders of the information are issued.

7.0 Program Review

7.1 The effectiveness of the nuclear emergency public awareness and education program shall be reviewed and revisions made as necessary (e.g., to incorporate operating experience, changing needs or circumstances, and lessons learned from real events).

7.2 Nuclear emergency public awareness and education programs will identify a timeline by which the program's effectiveness review will be completed.

Monitoring the effectiveness of the public awareness and education programs may include:

  1. surveys
  2. public meetings
  3. public forums
  4. focus groups