Emergency Preparedness Exercise Begins Tomorrow

Exercise Unified Control at Pickering Nuclear December 6 & 7

PICKERING, ON, Dec. 5, 2017 /CNW/ - Ontario Power Generation (OPG) and more than 30 partner organizations are participating in a large-scale, emergency preparedness exercise (ExUC) at Pickering Nuclear Generating Station on Dec. 6 and 7, 2017.

During these two days OPG, Region of Durham, City of Toronto, City of Pickering and, various other provincial and federal government agencies will work together to simulate a mock nuclear emergency, and test their response plans. This simulation exercise will ensure each organization is well prepared to effectively safeguard the health and safety of the public in the highly unlikely event of a nuclear emergency. The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC), which is responsible for regulating nuclear stations in Canada, will observe the drill and provide feedback to OPG.

In the more than four decades of nuclear power operations in Canada, no member of the public has been harmed from a radiation emission.

Safety is at the core of OPG's operations. The company routinely leads and participates in emergency preparedness exercises to ensure it is ready to respond to any potential incident. OPG facilities are staffed with highly trained personnel and feature multiple safety barriers.

Quotes:

"This large-scale multi-jurisdictional exercise at Pickering Nuclear is an opportunity for OPG and all partner organizations to practice their response to a potential emergency and make our already safe nuclear operations even safer," said Glenn Jager, OPG's Nuclear President and Chief Nuclear Officer. "Our top priority is to ensure that our operations remain safe for our employees, the public and the environment.  We are committed to the continuous improvement of our response plans."

"To ensure the safety of Canadians and the environment, the CNSC requires all major nuclear facilities in Canada to have comprehensive emergency management programs in place to deal with any incident that may occur at their sites," said CNSC President Michael Binder. "Full-scale exercises like ExUC are very effective in testing this readiness."

"The simulation exercise will not only test our preparedness, but will help to identify any gaps and areas for improvement," said Mayor Dave Ryan, City of Pickering. "Although a nuclear emergency is highly unlikely, it should not lessen the importance of regularly testing our response plans."

"Preparing ourselves and our residents for unexpected events is a shared responsibility that we take very seriously," said Roger Anderson, Durham Regional Chair and Chief Executive Officer. "We are pleased to be one of many organizations participating in this exercise and supporting the safety of Durham residents. Exercises like this allow us to test our coordinated emergency plans, assess our ability to respond to a simulated event, and identify areas of improvement."

"This exercise will help ensure our collective preparedness for complex major incidents, said Ross Nichols, Ontario Fire Marshal and Chief, Emergency Management.  "Being better prepared to respond to emergencies helps ensure Ontario is as resilient as possible, so that our families and communities are safe."

SOURCE Ontario Power Generation Inc.