ML20032E628
| ML20032E628 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Wolf Creek, Cooper, Arkansas Nuclear, River Bend, Waterford, South Texas, Comanche Peak, Fort Calhoun, Fort Saint Vrain  |
| Issue date: | 11/16/1981 |
| From: | Jay Collins NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION IV) |
| To: | ARKANSAS POWER & LIGHT CO., GULF STATES UTILITIES CO., HOUSTON LIGHTING & POWER CO., KANSAS GAS & ELECTRIC CO., LOUISIANA POWER & LIGHT CO., NEBRASKA PUBLIC POWER DISTRICT, OMAHA PUBLIC POWER DISTRICT, PUBLIC SERVICE CO. OF COLORADO, TEXAS UTILITIES ELECTRIC CO. (TU ELECTRIC) |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 8111200756 | |
| Download: ML20032E628 (2) | |
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UNITED STATES yN NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
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611 RYAN PLAZA DRIVE, SUITE 1000 AR LINGTON, TEX AS 711011 November 16, 1981 Gentlemen:
The enclosed NRC Information Notice provides early notification of an event that may have significance. Accordingly, you should review the information notice for possible applicability to'your facility, No specific action or. response is requested at this time; however, contingent upon the. results of further staff evaluation, a bulletin or circular recomending or requesting specific licensee actions may be issued.
If you have questions regarding this matter, please contact this office.
. Sincerely, John T. Collins Regional Administrator
Enclosures:
1.
NRC Information Notice No. 81-34 2.
List of Recently Issued NRC Information Notices I
8111200756 811116 PDR ADOCK 05000267 G
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L-o NRC Infonnation Notice No. 81-34: ACCIDENTAL ACTUATION OF PROMPT PUBLIC NOTIFICATION SYSTEM Licensee Facility / Docket Number Arkansas Power and Light Conpany Arkansas Nuclear One,' Unit 1 & 2 Little Rock, Arkansas 50-313; 50-368
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Nebraska Public Pou r District Cooper Nuclear Station Columbus, Nebraska 50-298 0maha Public Power District Fort Calhoun Station Omaha, Nebraska 50-285 Public Service Company of Colorado Fort St. Vrain Generating Station Denver, Colorado 50-267 Gulf States Utilities River Bend Beaumont, Texas 50-458; 50-459 Houston Lighting & Power Company South Texas Project Houston, Texas 50-498; 50-499 Kansas Gas & Electric Company Wolf Creek Wichita, Kansas STN 50-482 Louisiana Power & Light Company Waterford-3 New Orleans, Louisiana 50-382 Texas Utilities Generating Company Comanche Peak Steam Electric Station Dallas, Texas 50-445; 50-446 w
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SSINS No.:
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8107230038 IN 81-34 UNITED STATES i
NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION I
WASHINGTON, D.C.
20555 November 16, 1981 NRC INFORMATION NOTICE N0. 81-34:
ACCIDENTAL ACTUATION OF PROMPT PUBLIC NOTIFICATION SYSTEM Description of Circumstances:
Recently the Maine Yankee prompt notification system was inadvertently activated.
The Maine Yankee system consists of three subsystems, one of which uses radio controlled fixed sirens to alert the public to the existence of a regional emergency.
The regional emergency signal, which would be used in the event of an emergency at Maine Yankee or any other type of regional emergency requiring public notification, can be activated by Maine Yankee plant personnel, by the county Sheriff, and by the State Police.
In a regional emergency, all fixed sirens are activated simultaneously by a single radio signal carrying a two-tone sequential command encoded at the transmitter and decoded at each siren's radio receiver.
The public has been instructed that when they hear the regional emergency alert signal, they should tunc in the Emergency Broadcast System (EBS) and/or the local National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) station to get information about the nature of the emergency and what they are to do.
The fixed sirens can develop more than one sound.
In addition to a common regional emergency sound, each siren can also produce a different, distinctive sound which is used by local fire companies to signal a fire.
The controls for fire calls are independent of the regional alert control.
Recently the fixed sirens were activated three times in rapid succession by radio signals generated by the State Police in the course of routine police radio pager operations not connected with a regional emergency.
For a time neither Maine Yankee personnel, the county Sheriff, nor the State Police realized that the regional emergency signal had been triggered.
No emergency instructions or announcements were broadcast to the public via EBS or NOAA, so some concerned citizens telephoned the plant and the State Police for futher information.
In all, about one hour elapsed between the first siren system activation and the first media announcement indicating no emergency existed.
Since this event, the State Police, who have the authority to activate EBS and NOAA, have developed "no emergency" messages and procedures which can be quickly aired should another emergency signal be produced in the absence of an emergency.
They have also altered their radio operations plan to assure an offending signal will not be generated.
Maine Yankee has altcred the tone sequencing scheme to render it unlike tone sequences typical of commercially
IN 81-34 November 16. 1981 Page 2 of :
available paging systems.
These steps will reduce the likelihood of a recurrence and provide for rapid announcements to the public over EBS stations and NOAA weather radio in the event a "no emergency" message is needed.
- Thus, the "no emergency" message will reach the public in the same way emergency instructions would, and just as rapidly.
These are interim steps.
In the longer term, an encoded digital message will be used to activate the sirens.
This offers far more security than the sequenced tone system it will replace.
The "no emergency" announcement capability will be retained.
This information notice is provided to make licensees and applicants aware of this event and its associated problems.
We expect that licensees will review this information for applicability at their facilities.
No written response to this information notice is required.
If additional information is desired regarding this matter, please contact the Regional Admin-istrator of the appropriate NRC Regional Office.
NRC Information Notice No. 81-34 November 16, 1981 LISTING OF RECENTLY ISSUED NRC INFORMATION NOTICES Information Subject Date Issued To Notice No.
Issued 81-26 Compilation of Health 8/28/81 All power reactor facilities Physics Related Information with an Operating License Items (OL} or Construction Permit (CP) 81-27 Flammable Gas Mixtures 9/3/81 All power reactor facilities in the Waste Gas Decay with an Operating License Tanks in PWR Plants (OL) or Construction Permit (CP) 81-28 Failure of Rockwell-Edward 9/3/81 All power reactor facilities Main Steam Isolation Valves with an Operating License (OL) or Construction Permit (CP) 81-29 Equipment Qualification 9/24/81 All power reactor facilities with an Operating License (0L) or Construction Permit (CP) 81-30 Velan Swing Check Vc1ves 9/28/81 All power reactor facilities with an Operating License (0L) or Construction Permit (CP) 81-31 Failure of Safety Injection 10/8/81 All power reactor facilities Valves to Operate Against with an Operating License Differential Pressure (OL) or Construction Per. nit (CP) 81-32 Transfer and/or Disposal of 10/23/81 All medical licensees Spent Generators 81-33 Locking Devices Inadequately 11/9/81 All power reactor facilities Installed on Main Steam with an Operating License Isclation Valves (0L) or Construction Permit (CP)
Enclosure