County Personnel Train for Response to Nuclear Accident

A mock wash station was set up at John Prince Park to decontaminate evacuees exposed to radiation.

A mock wash station was set up at John Prince Park to decontaminate evacuees exposed to radiation.

Hurricanes aren’t the only disasters emergency managers must be prepared to handle. On May 2, Palm Beach County was one of several nuclear training sites across South Florida. This biennial training exercise involved simulated response actions and protective measures that would be implemented if an emergency were to occur at the St. Lucie Nuclear Power Plant (SLNPP).

County staff from Fire Rescue, Public Safety and Public Affairs participated in the drill, along with emergency response personnel from various federal, state, county and municipal agencies, including the West Palm Beach and Boca Raton Fire Rescue departments, and the American Red Cross.

The field portion of the exercise took place at John Prince Park in Lake Worth, where a decontamination site was set up. Students from the G-Star School of the Arts served as radiation exposure victims. The Emergency Operations Center was in a partial activation, meaning several county staff members were manning their stations to provide resources and solve problems related to the drill.

Palm Beach County is a receiver county for the influx of evacuees from within a 10-mile radius of SLNPP and would not be directly affected by radiation in the event of an emergency at the plant.