What to Do If an Emergency Occurs on the Oak Ridge Reservation
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What to do if an emergency occurs on the Oak Ridge Reservation A cooperative publication of the following agencies: United States Department of Energy Oak Ridge Office, Oak Ridge National Laboratory Site Office, and Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management National Nuclear Security Administration Production Office Public Affairs Tennessee Emergency Management Agency This document is also available at: http://science.energy. gov/isc/emergency-information/ March 2014 Emergency Public Information What to do if an emergency occurs on the Oak Ridge Reservation United States Department of Energy Oak Ridge Office, Oak Ridge National Laboratory Site Office, and Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management National Nuclear Security Administration Production Office Tennessee Emergency Management Agency Contents How safe is the Oak Ridge Reservation? ........ 4 Key emergency information ............................. 5 If you hear the sirens ...................................... 8 If you are advised to shelter-in-place ............ 10 If you are asked to evacuate to shelters ........ 11 Evacuation sector maps and shelters ........... 14 Emergency supplies checklist ....................... 37 About radiation .............................................. 38 About chemical hazards ................................ 40 Oak Ridge Reservation sites ......................... 42 2 3 How Safe is the Oak Ridge Reservation? Key Emergency Information The Department of Energy (DOE) and safety of employees and the What do I do if there is an sirens will sound to notify the public is committed to the safety of our public. If something happens, emergency? within two miles of the site. If you live employees, the public, and the DOE, contractors, and state and in a potentially affected area, you environment. Our missions are complex. local government agencies are DOE is committed to public safety in may be asked to shelter-in-place or Transformational research, science, trained to respond and ensure the event an emergency arises. You evacuate. The key is to stay tuned national security, environmental cleanup public safety and environmental will be informed of an emergency to the television, radio, and social and the next generation of nuclear energy protection. through the radio, television, and/or media for instructions and the latest technology are performed at three sites in social media updates, and, depending information. Oak Ridge: The following sections highlight on the level of emergency, the actions you should take in the warning siren system and Emergency The following pages of this book • East Tennessee Technology Park event of an emergency along Alert System messages. describe this process in detail. You • Oak Ridge National Laboratory with background information will know the types of emergencies • Y-12 National Security Complex about facilities at the Oak Ridge If an emergency occurs, emergency declared, some background Reservation. Preparation is crucial, responders are dispatched to the on our sites, and a map of the Each site is unique. Some of our so please take a moment to scene and trained technical and sectors. By reading this publication, operations involve handling radioactive become familiar with what you will management staff are called to you will know what to do if an and hazardous materials while others need to do if an emergency occurs the Emergency Operations Center. emergency occurs on the Oak Ridge involve tearing down old industrial on the Oak Ridge Reservation. Conditions are assessed to determine Reservation. facilities that are no longer needed. what actions are necessary to protect Whatever the task, we diligently strive the public and the environment. to understand the hazards involved and Information about the emergency will take the proper precautions to protect our be provided through social media, workers and the public. news releases, and Emergency Alert System messages. The Emergency The risk Alert System messages will provide of a major specific protective actions emergency the public should take, if is very low. necessary, as directed by That’s because the Tennessee Emergency of extensive Management Agency. environmental, safety and health Often these events are programs in confined to a building or place at our site and only impact the sites to protect employees working in the the health immediate area. Should an event impact the area beyond our site boundaries, warning Oak Ridge Reservation 4 5 Key Emergency Information Key Emergency Information How We Notify the Public Categorization and Classification of Events resulting in the airborne release of hazardous materials are further Events classified into one of three levels in order of increasing severity (alert, site area For less severe emergencies, where emergency, general emergency). there is not a hazardous materials The following describes how release or the release is not causing emergencies are classified at DOE The figure below provides a representation of the classification levels. a level of concern off the Oak Ridge sites. These levels increase in severity Classifying the event into a severity level activates the needed resources for Reservation, news releases will be based on the emergency. You will the given condition. issued. Protective actions by the hear these terms used during public public may not be necessary. announcements. If there is a release of hazardous Events that do not involve the materials resulting in a level of release of harmful levels of concern offsite, a combination of hazardous materials but require resources is utilized to notify the significant response by the site public to take protective actions. (such as evacuation of buildings and These include the Public Warning response by the Fire Department) Sirens, the Emergency Alert System, are categorized as an Operational social media, and news releases. Emergency. Alert Harmful airborne release not exceeding the facility boundary. Site Area Emergency Harmful airborne release that goes beyond the facility but is still onsite. General Emergency Harmful airborne release that has the potential to or has gone offsite. Site is defined as the boundaries of either Y-12, ETTP or ORNL. ORNL Fire Protection 6 7 If You Hear the Sirens If You Hear the Sirens Public Warning Sirens EAS STATIONS In the unlikely event that a release of hazardous materials causes a level of STATION NAME STATION ID concern beyond the site’s boundary, warning sirens will sound within two miles of the affected site. A steady wailing sound will be heard for three to five minutes. EAS Radio Upon hearing the sirens, immediately go WIVK (Primary - Knoxville) FM 107.7 indoors or into a vehicle and tune to one of the local radio or television Emergency Alert System (EAS) stations for specific WJXB FM 97.5 instructions. If you are on a lake or river, travel away from the sound of the sirens and tune to a local EAS station for specific instructions. Local Television News Emergency Alert System (EAS) WATE (regional ABC affiliate) Channel 6 The EAS is a network of radio and television stations that provide emergency instructions WBIR (regional NBC affiliate) Channel 10 to the public. The radio and television stations in the Oak Ridge area that broadcast EAS messages are listed on the following WVLT (regional CBS affiliate) Channel 8 page. EAS messages providing specific protective action instructions may also be sent over weather alert radios. Protective Actions WTNZ (regional FOX affiliate) Channel 43 Protective actions are taken to avoid or minimize the exposure of individuals to the hazard. During emergencies, the local authorities may direct the public to take protective actions. The two primary protective actions are to shelter- in-place or evacuate. These are described in further detail on the following pages. If an emergency situation requires continuous updates to the public, a Joint Information Center will be opened for the media to obtain the latest information for broadcast to the public. A citizen’s hotline will also be Note: Public warning sirens are tested monthly, usually the first Wednesday activated at (865) 362-8600 to answer questions from the public. between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. 8 9 If You Are Advised to Shelter-in-Place If You Are Asked to Evacuate to Shelters Sheltering-in-place provides • Determine what sector you are in Evacuation protection from potential airborne (see pages 14-15). An evacuation may hazardous materials that may have be conducted when been released. • Continue to shelter-in-place and there is a concern listen to one of the EAS stations. that hazardous If you are asked to shelter-in-place materials may at work or at home, follow these • When the outside air is no longer impact people in instructions: dangerous, the EAS will announce a certain area. If that sheltering-in-place has ended, you are directed to • Bring everyone inside (including and that it is safe to open and evacuate from your pets). ventilate your home or building. home or while at work, follow these • Close all doors and windows. • Shelters may be opened for guidelines: individuals who cannot return • Turn off or close all ventilation home because a shelter-in-place • Write down the systems, including: has been ordered for the area in evacuation route and designated Emergency Planning Air conditioning which they live. If you are affected shelter provided by the EAS Attic & exhaust fans in this manner, please listen to EAS stations. These instructions will • If you are at home, gather items Furnaces stations