A non-cited
Severity Level IV violation of
10 CFR 50.48(a) and the Unit 1 and 2 Operating License Conditions was identified for the licensee making an inappropriate change to the approved
fire protection program. This change removed the requirement to implement fire watches for impaired fire protection systems and features.
This finding is more than minor because the lack of a posted
fire watch could adversely affect the ability to achieve and maintain
safe shutdown in the event of a severe fire in the affected area. This was based on recognition that the ability of the
fire watch was not limited to fire identification, but also included mitigating actions taken in the event of fires, such as the ability to close doors limiting fire exposure to adjacent areas and providing more timely fire detection capability in certain cases. This finding is of very low safety significance because, based on an assessment of the impacts of the identified fire protection features removed from service, the licensee's overall
safe shutdown capabilities and related fire protection features remained adequate to achieve and maintain
safe shutdown conditions. Therefore, this finding is characterized as Green.
