ML20248L061

PNO-78-080:on 780413,during Conduct of Emergency Drill,Which Involved Simulated Explosion,Simulated Injury to Workers & Actual Transport of Workers to Hosp,News Media Incorrectly Assumed Actual Event Occurred

ML20248L061
Person / Time
Site:	Salem
Issue date:	04/13/1978
From:	Blackwood E, Klingler G, Whitt K NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION I)
To:
References
PNO-78-080, PNO-78-80, NUDOCS 9806100392
Download: ML20248L061 (1)

Text

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PP,ELIMINARY NOTIFICATION April 13,1978 PRELIMINARY NOTIFICATION OF EVENT OR UNUSUAL OCCURRENCE--PNO-78-80 This preliminary notification constitutes EARLY notice of an event of i

POSSIBLE safety of pub ic interest significance.

The information presented is as initially recei'/ed without verification or evaluation and is basically all that is known by IE staff on this date.

Facility:

Public Service Electric and Gas Company salem Unit 1 (DN 50-272)

Hancocks Bridge, New Jersai

Subject:

EMERGENCY DRILL CAUSES EXTENSIVE NEWS COVERAGE

~~

During conduct of an emergency drill, which involved a simulated explosion, simulated injury to workers, and actual transport of these workers to a local hospital, the news media incorrectly assumed that an actual event occurred. As a result, widespread publicity of an explosion at Salem has occurred throughout the State of New Jersey.

r The news media became aware of the erroneous information because a local

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radio station monitors the hospital / ambulance radio frequency.

During b.f}

discussions on this frequency, the ' drill participants did not acknowledge { ])i or state that a drill rather than an actual incident was in progress.

i An NRC inspector monitored the drill.

Media interast has occurred and responses to media questions have been made'by both the licensee and NRC Region I.

NRC, Region I, (Philadelphia) received an inquiry concerning this matter by telephone from a Wilmington Radio Station at 10:45 a.m., on April 13, 1978.

The NRC inspector who witnessed the drill also reported the publicity l

at 11:30 a.m.

Contact:

KWWhitt, IE x28019 EBBlackwood, IE x28019 GRKlingler, IE x28019 Distribution:

Transmitted H St /

• I Chairmen Hendrie Commissioner Bradford Cononissioner Kennedy S. J. Chilk, SECY C. C. Kammerer, CA Ccmmissipner Gilinsky (ForDistribution)

Transmitted:

MNBB /.* N P Bldg /

• b E. Volgenau, IE L. V. Gossick, EDO E. G. Case, NRR Region 1 J / d,/

S. H. Hanauer, ED0

/

'J. J. Fouchard, PA SS Bldg /- 'd 3 (MAIL)

R. Hartfield, MIPC C. V. Smith, NMSS T. J. McTiernan, DIA R. G. Ryan, OSP

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H. K. Shapar, ELD R. Minogue, SD Ls PRELIMINARY NOTIFICATION p p g 2 780413 PNO-73-OSO pg

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