2007 News
August 9 , 2007
Bucks County Emergency Management Officials Conduct Two-Day Nuclear Disaster Exercise
Representatives of FEMA and PEMA Participate in Advisory Capacity
In the unlikely event a nuclear accident were to occur at Montgomery County’s Limerick Generating Station, Bucks County’s Emergency Management Agency would play a significant support role in any evacuation or quarantine procedures.
To prepare for such an eventuality, Bucks County Emergency Management Director John Dougherty conducted a response and coordination drill on Aug. 7-8 at the county Emergency Operations Center (EOC) in Ivyland and at the Neshaminy Mall in Bensalem Twp. The first evening of the exercise featured a series of escalating scenarios involving the Limerick facility, including an “alert,” a “site emergency” and a “general emergency.” EOC officials handled each scenario in close collaboration via telephone, e-mail and radio frequency with counterparts from the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) and officials from Montgomery, Chester, Delaware and Lehigh Counties.
“These types of exercises are a key element of our emergency readiness posture,” said Commissioner Chairman Charles H. Martin. “They also emphasize the interoperability of our neighboring counties. As we have learned repeatedly, disasters do not adhere to geographic boundaries.”
Dougherty expressed appreciation for staff and volunteer contributions to the success of the drill, noting, “I would like to thank all that took part in the exercise which went well, especially the 25 volunteer members of the Trevose Fire Co. and the 12 volunteers from the R.A.C.E.S. (HAM radio organization) who are a key part of the emergency response in Bucks County.”
Participating in the Aug. 7 exercise at the EOC were representatives of the following agencies: Warminster Amateur Radio, Bucks County Sheriff’s Dept., Bucks County Hazardous Incident Response Team, American Red Cross, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), PEMA, Pennsylvania Health Dept., Bucks County Fire Marshal, Bucks County Commissioners’ Office of Public Information, Bucks County Emergency Management Dept. and Bucks County Emergency Health Dept.
Throughout the evening, Dougherty and his staff coordinated mock preparations to help Bucks County accommodate as many as 20,000 evacuees from the 10-mile radius surrounding the Limerick site. That radius is also known as the Emergency Planning Zone (EPZ).
By the end of the four-hour drill, Pennsylvania Gov. Edward G. Rendell had issued a practice recommendation for EPZ residents to evacuate, prompting Bucks County to mobilize its emergency services community, ready a Red Cross mass care center at a local high school and prepare an evacuation reception center.
On Aug. 8, in the Neshaminy Mall parking lot, volunteers from the Trevose Fire Co. joined Dougherty and Bucks Emergency Management personnel to stage a mock “exposure” reception center. Participants were tested with Geiger counters as part of a decontamination drill.
Throughout both portions of the exercise, drill stakeholders were observed closely by officials from FEMA and PEMA, who will offer feedback and suggestions about Bucks County’s response planning and procedures.