[ RadSafe ] A town was thrown into panic after the council began a campaign to prepare households to deal with radiation leaks

[Fred Dawson]

Further to the post regarding a town was thrown into panic; list members
might be interested to know more about planning for submarine reactor
accidents in the UK.

Dorset Council

Portland Port Off-site Reactor Emergency Plan
Portland Port is one of a handful of ports within the UK to harbour nuclear
powered submarines for the Royal Navy. 

Portland Docks are used for operational visits by nuclear powered submarines
with two berths approved for use, otherwise called 'Operational Berths'.
Nuclear powered submarines shut down their nuclear reactors when in harbour,
and are equipped with extensive safety measures. It is highly unlikely that
an accident involving a submarine reactor would occur, indeed the Royal Navy
has been operating Nuclear powered submarines since the early 1960s and has
a safety record that is second to none. In addition due to the design of a
submarine nuclear reactor there is no risk of an 'atom-bomb' type explosion.

Dorset County Council, other Local Authorities and Emergency Services have a
statutory duty laid down by Central Government to plan and prepare for
emergency situations, in the highly unlikely event of a radioactive
accident. This is called 'Emergency Preparedness'.

Dorset County Council's Emergency Planning Service has been working in
conjunction with its partners of the Operational Berth Issues Group (OBIG)
to plan for nuclear-related emergencies in compliance with Central
Government legislation such as the 'Civil Contingencies Act 2004' and the
'Radiation Emergency Preparedness and Public Information Regulations'
(REPPIR). These Regulations establish a framework for the protection of the
public from radiation accidents or emergencies and have been the driver
behind Dorset's planning for nuclear-related emergencies. 

A booklet;   "Information in the event of a Radiation Emergency in Portland
Port" [1Mb] (opens in a new window) describes precautions to be taken in the
unlikely event of such an emergency. 

The   Portland Port Off-site Reactor Emergency Plan [2Mb] (opens in a new
window) is also available, along with a  guide to navigating the Plan
[678kb] (opens in a new window). 

In compliance with REPPIR, member organisations of the OBIG will undertake a
review and where necessary revise the plan and test the arrangements at
suitable intervals not exceeding three years.

The documents can be downloaded at

http://www.dorsetforyou.com/index.jsp?articleid=361826

Fred Dawson




-----Original Message-----
From: radsafe-bounces at health.phys.iit.edu
[mailto:radsafe-bounces at health.phys.iit.edu] On Behalf Of Jeff Terry
Sent: 12 March 2010 16:15
To: radsafe at health.phys.iit.edu
Subject: [ RadSafe ] A town was thrown into panic after the council began a
campaign to prepare households to deal with radiation leaks

From: "Fred Dawson" <fd003f0606 at blueyonder.co.uk>
Date: March 12, 2010 10:08:39 AM CST
To: <radsafe at agni.phys.iit.edu>
Subject: A town was thrown into panic after the council began a  
campaign to prepare households to deal with radiation leaks


Telegraph reports"A town was thrown into panic after the council began  
a campaign to prepare households to deal with radiation leaks.

Residents barricaded themselves indoors and made frantic telephone  
calls to the emergency services after "alarmist" leaflets were  
distributed to 1,200 homes on the Isle of Portland, Dorset.

The pamphlets, which were posted through letterboxes after dark,  
outlined safety measures to be taken in the event of a nuclear leak

They told people within a mile of Portland port, where nuclear  
submarines can berth, to shut their doors and douse any fires.

Other instructions advised residents to not leave the area, to take  
potassium iodate tablets, and follow any instructions given.

To make matters worse, the distribution of the leaflets coincided with  
loud hailer announcements by water company officials that the water  
was being cut off, according to residents.

Rumours then quickly spread that there might be a radiation leak from  
a nuclear submarine.

Residents have accused organisers of the "Nuclear Accident Emergency  
Plan" of "scare-mongering".

The preparations were led by Dorset County Council, the Royal Navy,  
the Maritime and Coastguard Agency and the borough council.

John Morris, a local resident, said: "I went outside when I heard the  
loudhailer announcement. I was handed this alarmist leaflet about  
nuclear leaks by a bloke who said nothing about it being an exercise.

"When I got the leaflet I thought 'When's the bomb going to drop?'

"It looked serious and it is no wonder people panicked. The organizers  
dealt with this in an utterly incompetent manner."

Vivien Hawkins, 78, said: "It was frightening. I heard this awful  
noise, opened my front door but couldn't understand what they were  
saying.

"After that a booklet came telling me to shut all the windows and  
douse fires."

Another resident, who did not wish to be named, said: "All I heard was  
that there may have been a radiation emergency on Portland Port. I had  
to give my wife a sleeping tablet to help with the shock.

"It is ridiculous that the organisers have caused so much trauma over  
a training exercise."

Ashley Reed, 42, said: "The impact of these leaflets coming through  
our letter boxes is the real crux of the anxiety generated.

"The first impression when you pick it up is that this is because of a  
radiation leak and these were delivered at night and after dark."

Geoff Buckley, 73, a former senior commissioner engineer with Vickers,  
said: "If people don't know what's going on it scares them.

"Instead of using pamphlets, they should spend a bit of time going  
around to visit people."

The preparations were a pre-cursor to a larger exercise next month.  
The exercises are a statutory obligation because of the possibility  
that nuclear submarines could berth in Portland Harbour.

Donna George, senior emergency management officer at Dorset County  
Council said: "I understand that the message went out in the local  
paper and local radio so they were aware of the particular exercise we  
were looking to undertake"



http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/7429231/Town-thrown-into-panic-after-
council-launches-radiation-exercise.html



Fred Dawson
New Malden
England
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