Staff at the Cook nuclear power plant in Bridgman are gearing up for a major emergency drill later this month.
Cook spokesperson Bill Downey tells us every two years, county, state, and federal agencies come to the plant for a drill to ensure staff are prepared for disasters. To get ready for the drill later this month, plant staff this Tuesday held a “dress rehearsal” drill. Downey says they help.
“In the last evaluated drill, FEMA was there, the state of Michigan was there, Berrien County was there, and everything ran like clockwork,” Downey said. “Usually, we have to do a couple of dress rehearsals because most often, when we do our quarterly drill, the state and local participants are simulated. But then when we do the evaluated drills, they all participate at full scale.”
Downey says when these drills take place, members of the plant’s Emergency Response Organization all receive text messages telling them to get to one of four emergency facilities, each one dedicated to a different aspect of disaster response. From there, the drill unfolds.
Downey says they do in-house drills quarterly, and because of all this training, the public should be assured of the plant’s safety.
“They’re living in one of the safest counties in the state of Michigan simply because of the fact that we do this kind of a high-level emergency drill, and we do it so often.”
Downey says the big drill with partner agencies will be June 24. On hand will be FEMA and the NRC, who will evaluate the Cook plant’s readiness and provide a debriefing. Partners like the Berrien County Sheriff’s Department and Michigan State Police will also be involved.
Downey says all these drills are just part of making sure everyone at the Cook plant knows what to do in the event of an emergency.
