Chapter 5 Initiating an emergency response

5.1 General

This chapter provides an overview of the initial response to nuclear and radiological emergencies including initial notifications, activation of plans, operational lead, and the different response phases.

5.2 Initial Notification for Nuclear Emergencies in Ontario

5.2.1 Federal legislation and associated regulations administered by the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC)^{footnote 7[7]},^{footnote 8[8]} require reactor facilities to have plans and arrangements in place to ensure off-site authorities are notified within 15 minutes of categorizing an event. As such:

1. The reactor facilities at Pickering, Bruce, Darlington and Chalk River shall make initial notifications according to the agreed to system and procedure detailed in Annex D and in the appropriate Implementing Plan.
2. The Fermi 2 nuclear station in Monroe, Michigan, USA notifies the province using the same criteria required to notify USA off-site authorities. The Initial Notification System is detailed in Annex D and is described in the Fermi 2 Implementing Plan.

5.2.2 Whenever the reactor facility initiates a nuclear emergency notification, the PEOC Operations Chief or Commander shall determine the appropriate response level to adopt and so notify the Emergency Response Organization. Normally, the default Provincial Response Level shall be as depicted inAnnex D, Appendix 1:

1. routine monitoring; PEOC duty staff monitor the situation, as usual
2. enhanced monitoring; PEOC staffing level increased to monitor a developing situation
3. partial activation, see Section 5.5.4 below
4. full activation, see Section 5.5.5 below

5.2.3 The PEOC, under direction of the Operations Chief or Commander may adopt a response level that is different from the default response described in Paragraph 5.2.2 above as appropriate and may then notify the Emergency Response Organization on that basis.

5.2.4 Internal Notification

Each organization or agency required to respond to a nuclear emergency should 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.

5.2.5 External Notification

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. The responsibility for making such notification shall be described in the relevant Implementing Plans.

5.2.6 Initial Notification for Transborder Emergencies

Notifications for transborder emergencies are described in the PNERP Transborder Implementing Plan.

5.3 Initial Notification for Radiological Emergencies

5.3.1 The first indications of a radiological event may come from:

1. The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission which, pursuant to the Nuclear Safety and Control Act^{footnote 9[9]} and its associated regulations, requires any licensed person or organization holding, using or transporting radioactive material to notify the CNSC in the event of an occurrence resulting in the release or loss of control of radioactive materials.
2. Another government department that may receive notification due to the circumstances of the event (e.g., Transport Canada for a transport accident; MOHLTC or Labour for an exposure incident, etc.)
3. A local Emergency Response Organization e.g., police, fire, emergency medical services, and notifications shall proceed according to local plans and procedures.
4. A community, which shall notify the PEOC when an emergency is declared or, whenever it activates its emergency response plan for a radiological emergency.

5.3.2 Pursuant to a memorandum of understanding⁸ with the OFMEM, the CNSC shall notify the province (through the PEOC) of any report it receives from a licensee of an occurrence which has resulted, or has the potential to result in the receipt, by any member of the public, of a dose of ionizing radiation in excess of prescribed regulatory limits.

5.3.3 Upon receipt of a notification, from any source, of an occurrence of a radiological event whose effects have not been contained and/or which has the potential to affect public health and safety, the PEOC shall make notifications to the Emergency Response Organization as detailed in the PNERP Implementing Plan for Other Radiological Emergencies.

5.3.4 Where the incident is a result of a malevolent act, the Provincial Counter Terrorism Plan (PCTP) shall be activated to deal with the law enforcement aspect of protecting public safety. The purpose of the PNERP Implementing Plan for Other Radiological Emergencies is to co-ordinate the consequence management aspect of the radiological incident.  This plan can coexist with the PCTP and coordination of the emergency response operations under the two plans shall be undertaken through, and facilitated by, the Incident Management System structure.

5.3.5 Activation of this PNERP for a radiological emergency is described in Section 5.5 below.

5.4 International Nuclear Event Scale (INES)

5.4.1 The International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) International Nuclear Event Scale (INES) was put in place primarily to facilitate communication and understanding between the technical community, the media and the public on the safety significance of nuclear and radiological events.

5.4.2 In Canada, the CNSC is responsible for assigning INES ratings to Canadian events and to use it in its communications, as appropriate.^{footnote 10[10]}

5.4.3 In order to avoid confusion, the INES shall not be used by Ontario officials for the purpose of either notifications or communications.

5.5 Activation of Emergency Plans

5.5.1 This PNERP shall be activated for a nuclear or radiological emergency when required by the Fire Marshal and Chief of Emergency Management or designate on behalf of the Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services^{footnote 11[11]}.

5.5.2 The emergency response plans of all other organizations (see Annex I) should be immediately activated as soon as they receive notification that the PNERP has been activated.  Their level of activation (see below) should also align with that of the PNERP unless specified otherwise^{footnote 12[12]}.

5.5.3 To enable an appropriately graduated response to a nuclear emergency, the activation response level shall provide for either partial or full activation, as outlined below.

5.5.4 Partial Activation

This level of activation is unique to a nuclear emergency and is appropriate to the situation where protective and operational measures are not immediately required, but may become necessary if the situation deteriorates. Partial activation of emergency response plans should permit detailed monitoring and assessment of the situation, as well as the ability to quickly go to full activation. As such, partial activation shall include the following:

1. Provincial and Municipal EOCs to be fully staffed;
2. Ministry Emergency Operations Centres and the Unified Transportation Coordination Centre to be staffed to the level appropriate for the situation, in order to monitor and assess the situation on a continuous basis and to implement associated plans as considered appropriate;
3. The local Emergency Information Centre to function on a continuous basis with an appropriate staffing level;
4. Other emergency centres to be readied to a level where they can become fully operational without undue delay when required and all other emergency response personnel to be placed on standby.

5.5.5 Full Activation

Full activation is appropriate when it is expected that protective and operational measures to mitigate the emergency are necessary immediately or, may be necessary in the near future. Full activation requires:

1. All emergency centres to be fully staffed and operational, unless specifically exempted by the appropriate jurisdiction authority;

2. All members of the Emergency Response Organization to immediately report to their places of duty, unless specifically exempted by the appropriate jurisdiction authority.

5.5.6 The detailed actions for, and response to the activation response level can be found in the following chapters and shall be further detailed in the relevant Implementing Plans as well as the emergency response plans and procedures of those organizations required to respond to a nuclear or radiological emergency.

5.6 Operational Lead

5.6.1 Whenever a nuclear emergency occurs or, whenever a radiological emergency occurs that requires the activation of this PNERP, the PEOC Commander, on behalf of the province is primarily responsible for leading the off-site response by supporting and coordinating the emergency response.  The PEOC Commander may:

1. issue Operational Directives prior to a provincial emergency declaration (see Paragraph 1.1.4)
2. promulgate emergency orders in the event of a declared emergency under the EMCPA (see Paragraph 1.5)

5.6.2 The provincial response to a nuclear or radiological emergency shall be co-ordinated through the PEOC Commander. 

5.6.3 When time permits, the PEOC Commander shall consult with the head of the Municipality (or their designate) when planning to issue operational directives or promulgate an emergency order for a protective measure within a municipal area.

5.7 Contingency Provisions

5.7.1 The PEOC Commander issues operational directives to the emergency management and response organization through the centres in the tier below. However, if for any reason, any of these centres is not functioning or is not responsive, the PEOC Commander may issue operational directives directly to any other element of the emergency management and response organization.

5.7.2 Similarly, response organizations are responsible for taking appropriate actions according to their respective plans, procedures and the requirements of the situation.

5.8 Declaration and Termination of an Emergency

5.8.1 Provincial

The authority for the declaration and termination of provincial emergencies pursuant to the EMCPA is described in Section 1.5.

5.8.2 Municipal

1. Pursuant to Section 4(1) of the EMCPA, the Head of Council of a Municipality can declare that an emergency exists in the Municipality or in any part thereof. The Head of Council should consider making such a declaration whenever the municipal nuclear emergency plan is activated.
2. When a radiological emergency occurs that requires activation of the local emergency plan, that Municipality should consider declaring an emergency. 
3. Pursuant to Section 4(3) of the EMCPA, the Solicitor General must be notified whenever a municipal emergency is declared.
4. The Head of Council or the council of a Municipality may at any time declare that an emergency has been terminated.

5.9 Emergency Phases

Operations to deal with a nuclear or radiological emergency shall be conducted in three successive phases.

5.9.1 The Early Phase

1. The Early Phase begins with an initial notification and, in the event of a General Emergency notification from the reactor facility, requires urgent actions to deal with the immediate effects of radiation. Such actions may be based primarily on the preliminary status and prognosis of the nuclear or radiological emergency and rely on established plans, procedures and preparedness arrangements.
2. This early phase begins with the first warning that a significant problem exists and should normally transition to the Intermediate Phase after the radioactive release or source is brought under control (though not necessarily contained).  This phase may last from hours to days.
3. During this early phase, the following protective measures may be required:
   1. Exposure control protective measures

      In the event of a General Emergency notification, automatic or default actions pursuant to the relevant Implementing Plan (e.g., Evacuation, Sheltering-in-place and Iodine Thyroid Blocking) should be directed. For notification categories of a lesser severity, the directing of protective measures should be based on plant (or emergency) conditions, operational realities and the Generic Criteria action levels (Annex E, Appendix 1).

   2. Ingestion control protective measures

      During the early phase, ingestion control measures may be imposed as a precaution.

   3. Emergency Worker protective measures

      Protective actions (e.g., a dose management) may be required to prevent or reduce risks related to radiation exposure of Emergency Workers .

5.9.2 The Intermediate Phase

1. The intermediate phase begins once the radioactive release or source is brought under control (though not necessarily contained) and reliable environmental radiation monitoring information is available to be used as the basis for protective action decision-making.  This phase may last for weeks to months and may overlap both the early and recovery phases.
2. The following protective action strategies shall be considered, and decisions made, based on the OILs as well as on the operational situation at that time:
   1. exposure control protective measures
   2. ingestion control measures
   3. emergency workers protective measures
   4. population monitoring and medical management protective measures
3. Psychosocial support measures shall also be implemented as necessary during the intermediate stage.

5.9.3 The Recovery Phase

1. The recovery phase begins when short-term and long-term actions can be taken in order to restore, to an acceptable level, both the organizations involved in, and the communities affected by, the nuclear emergency and the associated response activities.
2. During the recovery phase, emergency management and response operations may continue to occur (e.g., ingestion control protective measures, restoration activities, etc.).
3. Recovery phase actions may be described in a separate plan and may include:
   1. care for persons exposed and/or contaminated
   2. psychosocial support
   3. long-term relocation issues
   4. the resettlement of and return of individuals affected by the nuclear emergency
   5. long-term support to the public living in contaminated areas
   6. decontamination or reconstruction of property damaged as a result of the emergency and associated response activities
   7. economic impact studies and studies on how to revive local business activity

5.9.4 Transitioning Between Phases

1. There may not be a clear distinction between phases given that emergency response operations may occur in all phases, and that planning for the recovery phase should commence as soon as practical.
2. Emergency Response Organization recovery plans should:
   1. Define a transition process from the nuclear emergency response phase to the recovery phase.
   2. Identify the organizations involved in the recovery phase.
   3. Include an action to assess the need for additional resources to support the transition process.
   4. Identify a process to adjust protective actions as required.