Fake Radiological Release Helps Savannah River Site Prepare for Emergencies

(TNS) - Regular Savannah River Site personnel played fake news media Wednesday during an emergency drill that scripted the hypothetical transport of three injured workers to local hospitals.

The media and other staffers were faced with a scenario which involved the release of radioactive materials at the Savannah River National Laboratory, a facility operated by the SRS management and operations contractor, Savannah River Nuclear Solutions.

A severe weather event caused the downing of a power line resulting in damages to a waste drum and a chemical container, according to a mock media release.

Workers suffered injuries during the incident, including one who was transported to Georgia Regents Medical Center with a head laceration. Another employee suffered a broken arm and the final one an injured wrist. Those two were transported to Aiken Regional Medical Centers.

Precautionary measures were taken during the incident, which included closing down a portion of Highway 125, barricading site entrances and restricting rail, river and air traffic in the vicinity of SRS.

In addition, radiation monitoring teams were sent to various locations to provide assessments.

“We always keep the safety of our workers and the public in mind in a situation such as this,” National Lab Deputy Director Dave Elyer said during a mock press conference.

Eyler was joined in the front of the room by two other site personnel and officials from state offices representing the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control.

In the end, officials determined there were no other injures during the incident and that radiological releases were too low to cause any major concerns.

The Savannah River Site Emergency Response Organization provides a formal drill and exercise program established to validate annually all elements of an emergency management program, according to SRNS spokesperson DT Townsend.

The drills and exercises are developed in detail to thoroughly train (Savannah River Site Emergency Response Organization) members to respond quickly and effectively to realistic, simulated emergency events and conditions in a manner that, as nearly as possible, replicates an actual, integrated emergency response,” Townsend said.



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