ML20106A559

Forwards Fort St Vrain Nuclear Generating Station Site- Specific Offsite Radiological Emergency Preparedness Prompt Alert & Notification Sys Evaluation. No Assurance That Sys Adequate to Alert Public in Event of Accident at Site

ML20106A559
Person / Time
Site:	Fort Saint Vrain
Issue date:	02/01/1985
From:	Speck S Federal Emergency Management Agency
To:	Dircks W NRC OFFICE OF THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FOR OPERATIONS (EDO)
Shared Package
ML20106A561	List: ML20106A559
References
NUDOCS 8502110277
Download: ML20106A559 (2)

Text

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1. Y*% Rehm y fgN%/1 Federal Emergency Management Agency Steilo hQ C Washington, D.C. 20472 atn 50467 FEB l 1985 Mr. William J. Dircks v Executive Director for Operations U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission j

Washington, D.C. 20555

Dear Mr. Dircks:

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has completed an analysis of the prompt alert and notification system for the Fort St. Vrain Nuclear Generating Station in Weld County, Colorado. This review has been com-pleted pursuant to FEMA rule 44 CFR 350; selected evaluative criteria and Appendix 3 in NUREG-0654/ FEMA-REP-1, Rev. 1; and FEMA-43, the " Standard Guide for the Evaluation of Alert and Notification Systems for Nuclear Power Plants." The enclosed report entitled " Fort St. Vrain Nuclear Generating Station Site-Specific Offsite Radiological Emergency Preparedness Prompt Alert and Notification System Evaluation" sumnarizes the engineering design review, incorporates the results of the telephone survey of the public conducted immediately following the alert and notification system activation on August 15, 1984, and includes the results of the review of the other applicable evaluative criteria from NUREG-0654/ FEMA-REP-1, Rev.1, and FEMA-43.

The telephone survey of the public that was conducted following activation of the alert and notification system resulted in 225 respondent households called that were located within the plume emergency planning zone (EPZ) where people were at home at the time of the transmission of the alerting signal to the tone alert radios. Of this number, only 41.3% indicated that they had been alerted during the test. This leads to the conclusion that, at a 95% confidence level, only between 36.0% and 46.9% of the households within the EPZ would be alerted by the tone alert radios. The survey data has been reviewed to identify ways in which the system can be enhanced for better alerting capability. The primary area identified is public instruction on the operation and use of tone alert radios, since the survey revealed that 33.8% of those individuals contacted, who were at . 'me at the time of the test, indicated that they were not operating their t e alert radios in a manner that permitted the radio to annunciate upon receipt of an alerting signal. This leads to the conclusion that, at a 95% confidence level, between 28.7% and 39.2% of the households within the EPZ would not be operating their tone alert radios in a manner that would permit the radio to annunciate upon receipt of an alerting signal. The survey was not designed to determine the reasons for the public's apparent failure to make proper ,

use of the tone alert radios.

8502110277 B50201 PDR ADOCK 05000267 b

Based upon the results of the telephone survey of the public, less than half of the households within the plume emergency planning zone would have been alerted by.the primary alert and notification system, i.e., the tone alert devices. This is not acceptable and fails to conform to the requirements of FENA-43 and NUREG-0654/ FEMA-REP-1, Rev. 1. Based upon the results of the surr" , the alert and notification system installed around the Fort St. Vrain Nuclear Generating Station does not meet the specific design requirements of NtAEG-0654/ FEMA-REP-1, Rev. 1, and FEMA-43, and, therefore, there is not l reasonable assurance that the system is adequate to promptly alert and notify the public in the event of an accident at the site.

FEMA Region VIII will furnish a copy of the enclosed report to the State of Colorado and, in conjunction with the State, will pursue corrective actions designed to increase the public's proper use of the tone alert radios and/or make more use of supplemental alerting methods. During the next full participation exercise scheduled for June 1985, FEMA plans to verify the

-corrective actions taken.

^

If you have any questions, please contact Mr. Robert S. Wilkerson, Chief, Technological Hazards Division, at 287-0200.

Si cerely, 1

MSyrvusah d i amuel W. Speck hssociate Director State and Local Programs and Support Enclosure 4