La Salle County EMA demonstrates off-site response to a nuclear power plant emergency

Officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency were in La Salle County last week completing a federally evaluated exercise for the La Salle Generating Station nuclear plant near Marseilles.

While the official report won’t be available for 90 days, the preliminary consensus of the evaluation team is that the La Salle County Emergency Management Agency along with a long list of local response partners demonstrated their ability to manage an off-site response to a nuclear power plant emergency. This important exercise, which took place at different locations throughout the county, was conducted to test and evaluate the county’s readiness to respond to a potential nuclear emergency.

This type of exercise is conducted every other year in La Salle County and includes the participation of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency, Constellation, La Salle County Sheriff’s Office, La Salle County Highway Department, La Salle County Health Department, the Regional Office of Education, La Salle County Information Technology Department, WCMY 1430 AM and 93.5 FM radio, La Salle County Board Office, the Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS), the American Red Cross, Illinois Valley Community College, Seneca grade and high schools, La Salle County GIS Department and Bruce Harris and Associates. Additionally, the municipalities of Marseilles, Seneca, Ottawa and Streator also participated.

The exercise involved a simulated emergency scenario designed to test the effectiveness of emergency response plans, communication systems and coordination between agencies within and outside of the county.

“The safety and well-being of our community is a top priority,” said emergency management agency director Fred Moore in a news release. “This exercise was a critical step in ensuring that we are fully prepared to protect residents in the event of a nuclear emergency. We are proud of the collaboration between local, state and federal partners, as well as our dedicated emergency response teams and EMA volunteers, for their professionalism and commitment to safeguarding our community.

There were over 45 different criteria evaluated at the La Salle County Emergency Operations Center including radiation exposure control, alert and notification, traffic and access control, emergency operations center management and protective action decision making.

“While we hope to never face such an emergency, exercises like this ensure we are ready to act swiftly and efficiently should the need arise,” Moore said. “This successful demonstration reinforces our commitment to the preparedness of our community and the strength of our emergency management system.”

La Salle County EMA will continue to work closely with local agencies, the state of Illinois, and the La Salle Generating Station to refine response strategies and ensure ongoing preparedness. The agency remains committed to conducting regular training and exercises to further enhance the county’s emergency response capabilities, the agency said in a news release.