Lake County, Ohio, Demonstrates Readiness at Nuclear Plant

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(TNS) – Over 500 local officials, including the Lake County commissioners and Lake County Sheriff’s Office, recently joined in the Radiological Emergency Preparedness, Full Participation, Plume Exposure Pathway Hostile Action Based Exercise for the Energy Harbor Perry Nuclear Power Plant.

According to Commissioner John Hamercheck, the county is fortunate to have such a professional and dedicated planning team.

“The expertise displayed by our Emergency Management Agency, local police and fire, health district, county sheriff, and many more, is second to none,” he said. “This year’s HAB, along with our nationally recognized virtual drill completed in 2020, clearly shows our commitment to emergency preparedness in Lake County.”

The exercise was the culmination of more than 18 months of planning by both public and private agencies and included more than 511 participants who were evaluated over multiple days during the last week of September.

All participants were closely observed by Federal Emergency Management Agency controllers to certify compliance with policies and procedures.

Lake County selected 12 Radiological Emergency Preparedness Program capability targets for evaluation, with all 12 targets met.

As a result, during the participant briefing, the Federal Emergency Management Agency reported no findings, meaning officials will be able to confirm to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission that they have reasonable assurance that the county and partnering off-site response agencies can protect the public.

“As always, we need to be proud of the public service in our county, which continuously collaborates to ensure we are prepared should an emergency occur,” said Lake County EMA Director Joseph Busher, noting the partnerships expanded to include Ashtabula County, Geauga County and the state.

“There is nothing more important than the safety of our residents in Lake County, and I am grateful to the hundreds of local, state and federal participants who continuously train and drill for emergencies in Lake County,” said Commissioner John Plecnik.

The post-drill evaluation results state that Busher “…did an excellent job of keeping the executive group on task and informed…(with) all incoming information immediately shared….”

“Proper training is vital to keeping our community safe,” added Commissioner Mark Tyler. “The team did an amazing job leading the three counties through a very important simulated attack at the plant.”

According to Sean O’Leary, FEMA Region 5 assistance committee chair, Lake County’s sustainable efforts are to be lauded for “how everyone has kept those additional capabilities” after the emergency phase of the pandemic died down.

After two years of not conducting radiological emergency preparedness activities, “rust” was not a factor, O’Leary said.

“I believe it’s because we have been in emergency mode for the last two years, so, our saw is still sharpened,” he added.

Lake County will conduct the next FEMA -evaluated exercise in the fall of 2024.