ML20248H267
| ML20248H267 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Seabrook  |
| Issue date: | 04/10/1989 |
| From: | Lonergan A MASSACHUSETTS, COMMONWEALTH OF |
| To: | |
| Shared Package | |
| ML20248G923 | List: |
| References | |
| OL, NUDOCS 8904140136 | |
| Download: ML20248H267 (7) | |
Text
1 p y g cogRESPONDLN93 UNITED STATES.OF AMERICA E0thli,ED
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION ATOMIC SAFETY AND LICENSING BOARD
'89 APR 11 P5 :59 Before Administrative Judges:
,: rn t
'3 h Ivan W.
Smith, Chairperson 1,
Dr. Richard F. Cole Kenneth A. McCollom
)
In the Matter of
)
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Docket No. 50-443-OL l
PUBLIC SERVICE COMPANY OF
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50-444-OL NEW HAMPSHIRE, ET AL.
)
(Off-Site EP)
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(Seabrook Station, Units 1 and 2
)
April 10, 1989
)
COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS TESTIMONY OF ARTHUR LONERGAN ON STATEMENTS OBTAINED FROM SISTER PAULA BRADLEY, SISTER DORIS BROUILLETTE AND l
DR. KENNETH PEELLE OF ST. JOSEPH'S HOSPITAL ON THE FEMA GRADED EXERCISE 1
I Department of the Attorney General Nuclear Safety Unit Public Protection Bureau One Asbhurton Place Boston, Massachusetts 02108 (617) 727-2200 8904140136 890410 PDR ADOCK 05000443 PDR
]
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION ATOMIC SAFETY AND LICENSING BOARD l
Before Administrative Judges:
Ivan W.
Smith, Chairperson Richard F.
Cole I
Kenneth A. McCollom
)
In the Matter of
)
)
Docket No. 50-443-OL PUBLIC SERVICE COMPANY OF
)
50-444-OL NEW HAMPSHIRE, ET AL.
)
(Off-Site EP)
)
(Seabrook Station, Units 1 and 2
)
l
}
COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS TESTIMONY OF ARTHUR LONERGAN ON STATEMENTS OBTAINED FROM SISTER PAULA BRADLEY, SISTER DORIS BROUILLETTE AND i
DR. KENNETH PEELLE OF ST. JOSEPH'S HOSPITAL ON THE FEMA GRADED EXERCISE Q.
Please state your name, position and business address.
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A.
My name is Arthur Lonergan.
I am an Investigator with the l
Public Protection Bureau of the Department of the Attorney l
General of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
My office is l
located at One Ashburton Place, Boston, Massachusetts.
Q.
Please briefly describe your testimony.
I f
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I il 1
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A.
At the direction of the-Attorney in'the Nuclear Safety Unit of the Public Protection Bureau I oversaw the transcription of Sister Paula Bradley, Sister Doris Brouillette and Dr.
Kenneth Peelle of St. Joseph's Hospital about the FEMA Graded Exercises.
The focus of these statement was St.
l-Joseph's participation in the FEMA Graded Exercise and in particular the FEMA finding concerning the hospitals staff's lack of understanding about the biological' effects
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of radiation.
After the statements were reduced to writing, I called the named parties back and read and/or.
(
l sent the statements to them to confirm'the accuracy of the i
substance.
Those statements follow.as the substance of my testimony.
STATEMENT OF SISTER PAULA BRADLEY AND SISTER DORIS BROUILLETTE Sister Doris Brouillette and Sister Paula Bradley, past and present administrators of the Emergency Medicine Department of
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I St.' Joseph's Hospital in Lowell, MA. stated that New Hampshire i
i Yankee administered extensive training of their staff to I
prepare them to respond to a nuclear emergency at Seabrook.
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Sister paula went on to state that 74 people participated in the initial training, and that every department of the hospital was involved.
There.was a. wide variety of. participants ranging-from nursing staff, administrative staff, housekeeping and maintenance to the chairman of the disaster unit.
She could not recall the specific number of' nursing and medical staff who l
received training.
She said.to calculate the number of medical and nursing staff would require a review'and separation of names on attendance sheets.
The training entailed a series of lectures, demonstrations, and a' video tape over a two day period with different sessions for each division of the hospital.
Sister Doris stated that Neal Boucher was assigned by New Hampshire Yankee to the hospital to aid in administering the training sessions.
St.
1 Joseph's staff was informed that additional training would be provided on a yearly basis, but to date no further training has actually taken place since the FEMA Exercise of June, 1988.
Sister paula said that on May 19, 1988 St. Joseph's had their first walk-thru, a dress rehearsal for the FEMA Exercise.
On May 24, 1988 another walk-thru took place.
A new l
group of personnel participated in this walk-thru.
On June 10,
'i 1988 the final drill before the FEMA Graded Exercise took place. -
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On June 29th the FEMA Graded Exercise was conducted. 'The entire hospital was put on alert;. FEMA was present and-three Seabrook personnel were on hand when the call came through.
Sister Paula-said the call was treated as-if a real'disast'er had occurred and all participating personnel went to their stations'to prepare for the incoming victims.
The exercise was then conducted, and the hospital was informed it would be receiving an alaysis of the Exercise.
Sister Doris Brouillette stated that she heard.from Neal Boucher that there had been "no-gross deficiencies".in the way
.in which the hospital handled-itself during the exercise.
As to the question of biological effects of radiation and the FEMA finding that additional training is needed in.this area, Sister Paula indicated the the nursing staff has a basic understanding of the biological effects of radiation but is relying on the advice of Dr. Kenneth Peelle who is the Radiation Safety Officer for specifics'regarding actual safety monitoring levels.
She said the nursing staff would rely.upon Dr. Peelle to supervise the multi-disciplinary team treating a contaminated injured person.
She added.that any and all questions concerning the biological effects of radiation would be referred to him or one of his technicians.
Sister Paula stressed that the nursing and medical staff's primary responsibility is for the immediate care of incoming injured.
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l While the issue of the biological effects of radiation was not overly stressed in the initial training Sister Paula expects further training will address the issue.
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SIMENENT OF DJL_KEENETH PEELLE Dr. Kenneth Peelle, Head of the Radiology Department and Radiation Safety Officer at St. Joseph's Hospital in Lowell, confirmed that he participated in New Hampshire Yankee's training and graded FEMA Exercise.
With regards to the decontamination process in case of a Nuclear Emergency at
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Seabrook Station, he stated that while he is one of three radiologists on staff, he is the only one who participated in New Hampshire Yankee's training or the FEMA Exercise.
One of the three radiologists is available on a 24 hour2.777778e-4 days <br />0.00667 hours <br />3.968254e-5 weeks <br />9.132e-6 months <br /> basis.
Dr. Peelle stated that it is his understanding that St.
Joseph's is the primary MS-1 facility for Massachusetts but the majority of the contaminated injured wo:11d be transported to
- Exeter, N.H. and other New Hampshire hospitals.
He said that he expected St. Joseph's would be called upon to treat only 2-3 contaminated injured persons.
In connection with Sister Pr'ila's statement that her staff is relying on his advice for - _ _ - _ _ _ __ _.
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l specifics regarding actual monitoring safety levels, he said he could supervise.the' decontamination and treatment of two.(2) critically injured contaminated persons at once.
According.to i
Dr. Peelle, St. Joseph's could accept for. treatment two (2)'
more patients as.well, as long as they were not so critically-injured that they needed immediate medical sttention.
lhe said j
I that the space in St. Joseph's emergency room that could be separated of f and allocated for tile use of contaminated injured persons and th9 nuniher of trained personnel wrjuld limit St.
Joseph's ability to' accept more than 2 critically' injured requiring immediate treatment and 2 not so critically. injured R
l who could afford to wait a couple of hours for treatment.
He i
added that to the best of his knowledge'the radiologically 1
l injured would be transferred to specialized facilities 1
elsewhere.
It is his understanding that the main responsibility of the hospital is'to administer first aid and stabilize the injured who are contaminated.
It is his understanding that St.
Joseph's will not be called on to treat the, radiologically-injured.
Dr. Peelle stated that biological effects of radiation was not a major part of the training program. l l
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