VERNON — The Vermont Division of Emergency Management and Homeland Security (DEMHS) and its state and local partners will take part in a biennial graded exercise of its radiological response plan.
The drill will simulate an event at the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Plant on Wednesday, June 5, starting at approximately 9 a.m., and continuing until midafternoon. The exercise will determine if local and state agencies are ready to respond to an incident at the plant.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) conduct the exercises every two years.
Vermont Yankee, DEMHS, the towns in the Emergency Planning Zone around the plant (those within 10-miles: Vernon, Brattleboro, Dummerston, Halifax, Guilford, and Marlboro), Vermont state partners, and neighboring states of New Hampshire and Massachusetts conduct similar drills four times each year to prepare for a potential problem at the plant.
Representatives from FEMA Region I will hold a public briefing on Friday, June 7, to present their initial assessment of the exercise. The briefing begins at 4 p.m., at the Vernon Elementary School, 381 Governor Hunt Rd. Written comments or questions from the public and media may be submitted at or after the meeting.
Players will be in the field and in various other locations within the EPZ and other locations throughout the state managing the response. The State Emergency Operations Center in Waterbury will be fully staffed to manage the response. Town EOCs will also be in full operation.
This exercise allows federal teams to examine the ability of the participating local, state and utility officials to protect the health and safety of the public living near Vermont Yankee in the event of a radiological release.
FEMA will observe and evaluate governmental responses. The NRC will observe and evaluate the on-site performance of Vermont Yankee staff.