Experts about Public Safety Assurance

Nuclear power plant safety and civil protection aspects

Nuclear power plant safety and civil protection issues are topical to each member of our society. Are we provided with sufficient information on nuclear safety? What civil protection structure exists in our country? How to behave in case of an accident at a nuclear power plant? Senior specialist of the Population Protection and Planning Division of the Civil Protection Board of the Fire and Rescue Department Stasys Stasiūnas and senior specialist of the Public Information Division Laura Valauskienė agreed to answer these and other questions.

What does the safety of a nuclear power plant mean to the state and the public?
Stasys Stasiūnas: It is, first of all, the safety assurance of a facility and its operating personnel. People engaged in any kind of activities ensure the safety of these activities, especially in those fields, where negligence or a mistake can cost much. It needs to be recognized that the public has at all times taken been ensuring its safety in a general sense. One of the safety guarantors is a full satisfaction of energy needs which provides makes the public feel safe, confident and fully valued. We know that a properly managed nuclear reaction is an enormous source of energy. Therefore, the safety of a nuclear facility is much more significant to the state and the public than the safety activities performed at the facility itself.

How did the civil protection structure change in our country, how was it formed, and what functions does it perform?
Stasys Stasiūnas: Civil protection was formed on the basis of a prior existing civil defense structure, i.e. its professionals, knowledge, and methodological material. The experience of western countries has been adopted over the past few years. Currently, the main civil protection field is concerned with planning, organisation and coordination of the state‘s preparedness to emergencies.

What functions does your Service have to perform in the event of an incident at the Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant?
Stasys Stasiūnas: The main functions are to coordinate actions of the state and municipal institutions and ensure the implementation of the functions and tasks specified for subordinate institutions during the liquidation of the consequences of an accident in the event of a general accident beyond the boundaries of a nuclear facility. However, that does not mean that the assistance to the personnel of the facility will be refused.

Who informs the public about the situation at the Ignalina NPP?
Stasys Stasiūnas: We apply a concrete scheme for the information of the public. The scheme ensures the provision of information of the Fire and Rescue Department.

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Pic. 1 Scheme of informing the public about a nuclear accident

What information can a person rely if rumours about an accident at the INPP have been spread?
Stasys Stasiūnas: People have to believe only official information. Even booklets say that in the event of alarm, you must turn on the national radio or TV programme and listen to the information on how to further behave in case of a particular emergency situation.

Laura Valauskienė: Our department neither spreads rumours, nor disproves them. As far as a particular example is concerned, i.e. the false information about an accident at the Saint Petersburg Nuclear Power Plant, we have clarified this information with relevant Russian institutions, VATESI, and the Radiation Protection Centre. None of these institutions have confirmed the fact.

Does our state have a public information system on nuclear energy and relevant hazards and behaviour in the event of an accident and who is involved in it?
Stasys Stasiūnas: The fundamental principles of civil protection are taught at the Civil Protection Training Centre of the Fire Fighters School in Nemenčinė. Here, training is provided to heads and deputy heads of state and municipal institutions, economic entities, and training institutions as well as county and municipal civil protection employees. Lower level specialists are trained in the Preparation Divisions of the Civil Protection and Mobilisation Departments of the administrations of county governors. All training programmes of civil security fundamentals include lectures on radiation and the Chernobyl experience. However, civil protection training does not specify lectures on nuclear energy in the general context of the preparation for emergency situations.

Laura Valauskienė: The Civil Protection Training Centre is engaged in civil protection education of the public. This is a wide area covering all national institutions. The training programme includes emergency prevention, disaster preparedness, emergency localisation, and fire extinguishing.

Stasys Stasiūnas: A few years ago, civil protection specialists were discussing how to improve public knowledge about civil protection. Is it enough to improve only the quality of training and education? We even tried to differentiate separate subjects and define what, for example, a company manager, must know, understand and be good at after having heard a course on the civil protection basics. It was decided that a person should consciously strive for knowledge. It is not possible to teach civil protection during a short period of time. You can only provide information or tell where it can be found.

Laura Valauskienė: Public education is carried out on a continuous basis. Every hazardous facility operator should prepare information about the hazardous facility, operations in the facility, on how to protect oneself and how to behave in case of an accident. This information shall be distributed by authorised persons. The Ignalina NPP should also inform the public about any changes.

How should it be performed?
Laura Valauskienė: It should be done through mass media and by distributing instruction booklets, books, and brochures. Every municipality is obliged to inform its people on how they should behave in case of an accident. However, not all municipalities adhere to this principle. Supranational authorities have prepared plans regulating public information.

What should we do if a rumour about an accident has been spread?
Laura Valauskienė: First of all, you should contact the municipality. It is the closest authority to the public. Municipality services provide recommendations and inform on how to behave in case of an accident. Every municipality has a civil protection specialist. People must know that official information about such incidents is provided by municipalities.

How safety technologies and civil protection methods have been changing in the course of time?
Stasys Stasiūnas: The technical progress, especially as far as information technologies are concerned, has undoubtedly made impact on the progress in the field of civil protection. Changes in social relationships have also been of great importance for the perception of civil protection. As far as nuclear power is concerned in particular, the experience of the Chernobyl disaster has had an impact on the nuclear and radiation protection improvement.

Laura Valauskienė: The attitude to the provision of information has changed substantially. During the Soviet Period, little or no information was provided. Nowadays information cannot be concealed. Therefore, we adhere to the principle of not lying, describing the actual situation, and providing the public with as much information as possible.

The Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant has its action plan, which specifies a very important role for public information. All functions are regulated. A new edition of this plan is also being drafted by the Department. In the event of an accident at the Nuclear Power Plant the public would immediately be informed about it. The way the information would be provided to the public and mass media can be seen in the chart presented below.

P.S. Information on the radiation situation in the country is presented on the website:
http://193.219.133.11/v3/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1