Notification of the population in case of nuclear or radiation accident

1. SUMMARY

Notification is a preventive protection measure in case of nuclear or radiation accident that can lead to exposure of individuals of the population and contamination of the environmental with radioactive substances above the established regulatory limits. The goal is timely to warn the population and to provide information on the necessary actions and measures for radiation protection and mitigate the consequences of an accident.

Functions and obligations of the executive authorities to inform the population in case of nuclear or radiation accident are specified in the Disaster Protection, Act on the Safe Use of Nuclear Energy (ASUNE), Regulation for Emergency Planning and Emergency Preparedness in Case of Nuclear and Radiation accidents and the off-site emergency plan for Kozloduy NPP. The off-site emergency plan is part of the National Plan for Implementation of Urgent and Emergency Rescue and Recovery Work (UERRW) in case of crisis. Ministry of Emergency Situations (MES) through the General Directorate National Service Civil Protection (GDNSSP) organise and coordinate the procedures for informing the population in case of nuclear or radiation accident. Central and territorial executive authorities, within their competence, are obliged to inform the population in case of nuclear or radiation accident. The type of information, rules, methods and communication means for informing the population are defined in the National Emergency Plan and emergency plans to the competent authorities and off-site emergency plans of licensees who operate nuclear facilities and sites with radioactive sources.

The competent authorities carry out a policy of transparency and dialogue with the Bulgarian public about the status of radiation protection and emergency preparedness in the country. In case of accidents with radiation consequences the competent authorities should inform the population and give guidelines for radiation protection. In normal situation the population receives information through the media for the radiation protection and emergency preparedness, as well as for the natural gamma background in the country.

2. NOTIFICATION OF ACCIDENT IN “KOZLODUY” NPP WITH LIKELIHOOD RADIATION CONSEQUENCES TO THE POPULATION

The set up within the country communication – information system is used to notify the population and the competent state authorities in case of accident with likelihood off-site radiation consequences of “Kozloduy” NPP is used in the communication system that includes:

• fixed and cell phones, faxes;
• sirens, transmitting sound and speech information;
• loudspeakers;
• national and regional TV stations and radio stations, local radio translation units, mobile radios, satellite radio and video channels
• national communications and postal network;
• inter-institutional networks for information transmission;
• computer networks to transmit information electronically.

2.1. The Duty Chief Engineer of Kozloduy NPP (DCEKNPP) is the originator, who notifies the duty persons (DP):

• in the Ministry of Emergency Situations;
• in the Nuclear Regulatory Agency;
• in the Ministry of Economy and Energy (MEE);
• at district level – Operational communication and information centres (OCIC) in Vratsa and Montana districts;
• at municipal level - on-duty Municipal Security Council and Crisis Management (MSCCM) in the Kozloduy and Mizia town.
• urban places in the 30-km zone around the “Kozloduy” NPP by the local automated system (emitting warning signals and a voice information with instructions for behaviour and action).

2.2. OCIC - Vratza should notify (OCIC) – Pleven and OCIC - Montana. OCIC - Montana should notify OCIC – Vidin. Each single OCIC should notify the on-duty person in the Operational Centres (OC) in the Ministry of Emergency Satiations.

2.3. The Corresponding on-duty person in MSCCM should inform the people in urban places located within 30 km radius around the “Kozloduy” NPP. The urban places Kneja, Dolni Lukovit, Staroseltci, Bregare, Krushovene and Stavertci are notified from the MSCCM on-duty persons in Vratza, Montana and Pleven.

2.4. The on-duty persons of the Operational Centre of MES should notify the on-duty persons in the Council of Ministers, Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Economy and Energy, NRA, Ministry of Health (MH), Ministry of Environment and Water (MEW), Ministry of Transport, Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works, Ministry of Agriculture and Food, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Education and Science, National Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology, State Agency "State Reserve and War Time Military Supplies”, State Agency on Information Technologies and Communications and the Bulgarian Red Cross.

2.5. The Duty persons in the ministries and institutions should report to the relevant administrative managers and following their guidelines should notify the emergency teams for response according to off-site (national) emergency plan for the “Kozloduy” NPP.

2.6. General directorate National Service Civil Protection - MES should maintain at national level the notification system for disasters and accidents using audible signals (sirens) and messages to the population throughout the country. On Fig.№ 1 is shown the outline for notification.

3. NOTIFICATION OF ACCIDENT WITH LIKELIHOOD RADIATION CONSEQUENCES TO THE POPULATION FORM RADIOACTIVE SOURCES OR TRANSBOUNDARY TRANSFER OF RADIOACTIVE SUBSTANCES

3.1. Initial information (signal) for the accident or incident with radioactive sources or radioactive contamination of the environment may come from:

• sites which use or store radioactive sources;
• places, where an accident occur with radioactive sources (traffic accident, fire, explosion during transport of radioactive substances or other extraordinary events);
• in case of detection of radioactive sources or radioactive contamination in the environment and places where this is not acceptable and is not authorised by the competent authorities.
• state in which occurred accident leading to transboundary transfer of radioactive substances.

3.2. The information (signal) about the described events should be transferred to the competent state authorities (MES, NRA, Ministry of Interior or Ministry of Health) by the relevant on-duty persons.

3.3. The on-duty persons in the ministries and organisations report to the corresponding administrative managers and under their supervision should notify the emergency teams in compliance with the National Emergency Plan (in the part referring to the action in case or radiation accidents or radiation transboundary accident).

3.4. The notification of the public in case of accident should be carried out by the MES through the General Directorate National Service Civil Protection and its regional structures.

4. REQUIREMENTS FOR INFORMING THE POPULATION IN CASE OF ACCIDENTS WITH RADIATION CONSEQUENCES

4.1. The exchange of information between the competent state authorities responsible for notification and radiation protection of populations in case of accident, the following general requirements should be followed:

• the information should be exchanged between all relevant government bodies without prior request and should be prepared by the authorised officials;
• the exchange of information takes place at any time of the day between authorised officials of relevant institutions;
• the exchange of information should be performed at the predetermined and verified communication channels in a clear and succinct form;
• the initial information (signal) for the occurrence of an accident should be checked to confirm the reliability and for additional details;
• the information should be exchanged in written and oral form and should be recorded and archived on the established order in the relevant departments;
• the reception of the information should be confirmed by the authority to which it is send;
• the information exchange with other countries and international organisations should be done only after receiving permission of the manager of the relevant organisations;
• the information intended to the population should be objective, clear and easily understandable and disseminated by the media after being prepared by the experts in the relevant organisations and should be coordinated by the managers of those organisations.

4.2. The information to the population in case of accidents with radiation consequences contents:

• brief description of the event (date, time, location, data of the nature and course of the accident and the consequences thereof);
• evaluation and forecast of the development of the accident and the consequences thereof;
• instructions to the population for the implementation of measures for radiation protection (sheltering in the premises, protection of respiratory organs, implementation of iodine prophylaxis, evacuation or temporary relocation, use of individual protection means, limiting the consumption of defined foodstuffs, personal radiation hygiene);
• information about the action taken by the competent state authorities to manage the accident and mitigation the consequences;
• other information, facts or guidelines important to the population by the decision of the competent state authorities (including clarification of questions received by the population about the accident).

4.3. Dissemination of the information in p.2 is coordinated by the MES through the General Directorate National Service Civil Protection.
Timely information to the public in case of accident with likelihood radiation consequences is mandatory preventive measure that should be applied by the competent state authorities for the purposes of radiation protection. People should follow the instructions and recommendations received from the competent state authorities.

4.4. The National Emergency Plan and the internal emergency plans of the competent state authorities should be defined the requirements and procedures for immediate notification and periodic information of the population from the beginning of the accident until the final liquidation of the consequences caused by the accidents.

4.5. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs should inform the diplomatic corps and permanent missions of the Republic of Bulgaria in other countries in case of nuclear or radiation accident.

The NRA should inform the international organisations and neighbouring countries that may be affected by the accident trough the preliminary declared "contact points" in respective countries.

 Fig. No.1. Outline for notification in the accident in “Kozloduy” NPP with likelihood radiation consequences to the population