# Presentation: 295839

## Implementation of Predetermined Protective Action Plans for EAL-based Initial Response: Results and Lessons Learned

**May 7, 2008**

- Implementation of Predetermined Protective Action Plans for EAL-based Initial Response: Results and Lessons Learned

**John Ciolek - AlphaTRAC, Inc.**
**Maurice Sandoval - SNL/NM**

## Situation

- Hazardous Material Operational Emergencies
- Need to:
- Assess potential impacts
- Identify affected populations
- Implement protective actions
- Reduce injury
- Save lives
- Problem:
- Within very short time windows
- In high stress, low information environment
- Many potential scenarios and many facilities

## Solution

- SNL/NM has extended EAL-linked PAs
- Integrated decision support tools
- For initial decision-makers
- Graded approach
- Applicable for all potential emergency events
- Emergency Action Levels (EALs)
- (Predetermined) Protective Action Plans
- Shelter/Evacuation Decision Support Tool

## Graded Approach Using Zones 

- Two protective action regions implement a graded approach
- Define areas in which urgent protective actions are needed to avoid potential:
- Life-threatening health effects (death)
**Isolation Zone**
- Serious and irreversible health effects (injury)
**Protective Action Zone**

## The Zone Concept

- Circular (impact might occur in any direction)
- Usually centered on emergency location

-   Concentric
**Isolation Zone (IZ)**
- in center
**Protective Action **
**Zone** **(PAZ)** surrounds
- Isolation Zone

**IZ**

**PAZ**

## DOE Protective Action Criteria Define the Zones

- Threshold of Early Lethality (TEL) defines the **Isolation Zone**
- Distance to which 100 rem TEDE (radiological) or AEGL60-3/ERPG-3/ TEEL-3 (chemical) may be exceeded
- Protective Action Criterion (PAC) defines the **Protective Action Zone**
- Distance to which 1 rem TEDE (radiological) or AEGL60-2/ERPG-2/ TEEL-2 (chemical) may be exceeded

## Integrated Decision Support Tools

- Emergency Action Levels
- Initial decisions
- Conservative
- Consistent identification of:
- Type of event
- Severity of event
- Protective action plan
- Protective Action Plans
- Key decisions and actions
- Identify zones and populations
- Sheltering/evacuation Work Aid
- For potentially affected zones/populations

## Emergency Action Levels (EALs)

- Link easily identified event indicators or observations to:
- Pre-analyzed model-projected consequences
- Appropriate consequence-based decisions
- Identification number

## Protective Action Plans

- Geographically based around facility
- Potential incident command post locations
- Traffic control points
- Potentially impacted populations and key receptors
- Map depicting Protective Action Zones
- Building occupancy
- Messages to send (tar, pager, etc.)
- Building ventilation control capability

## PA Work Form

- Key receptors listed by distance and direction
- Draw vertical line for Protective Action and Isolation Zones
- Fill in evacuation instructions
- Onsite and offsite forms

## Protective Action Plan Maps

**PA Plan 4**

**PA Plan 3**

**PA Plan 2**

## Shelter or Evacuation?

- Must be appropriate for each affected population
- Complex evaluation required
- Rarely enough time to evaluate
- Combinations may be required
- Rapid work aid needed
- Based on key research findings

## Key Research Results

- Contamination enters buildings via natural diffusion and HVAC systems
- Inside concentration is a complex function
- Evaluating building shelter effectiveness is a complex, real-time issue
- Not yet practical for Incident Commander (IC) use in early decisions

## Key Research Results

- All buildings (even leaky buildings) can be effective shelters
- Short-term shelters
- for ~ 1/2 hour to 1 hour
- doors and windows closed
*EVEN WITH VENTILATION ON*
- Longer-term shelters
- For ~ 1 hour (or longer)
- doors and windows closed
- VENTILATION IS OFF

## Key Research Results

- AFTER plume passage, exposure situation usually reverses
- Evacuate sheltered personnel AFTER plume passage
- Re-enter after building air has been flushed and monitored
- Unless outdoor area is contaminated (e.g., particulate release) or
- Unless released material is heavy gas and may be pooled

## Shelter/Evacuation Work Aid

- Distills key research findings - as applied to SNL/NM
- Is simple reference tool useable in field
- Relates condition of plume release to actions for:
- Isolation Zone
- Downwind portion of Protective Action Zone
- Upwind portion of Protective Action Zone
- Additional work aid used for determining downwind portion of Protective Action Zone

## Example

## Implementation

- Used for about 3 years at SNL/NM
- EAL document
- 11 facilities at SNL/NM
- Changes based on screening, demolition, construction
- Also 2 special sets of EALs for onsite transportation
- Potential consequences of hundreds of events
- Conservative (worst case)
- Protective Action Plans document
- 2 Volumes
- PA Plans grouped by facility
- PA Plans numbered 1-5 based on severity (5 = worst)
- Many other events analyzed in EPHAs
- Each event identifies PA Plan (if any) to implement

## Use at SNL/NM

- Used by:
- Incident Commanders (ICs)
- Consequence Assessment Team (CAT)
- Emergency Operations Center
- Pre-defined PA Plans can be adjusted on the fly
- Usually adjusted by ICs
- CAT recommends reduction based on analyses

## Key Results of Implementation

- Improved onsite PAs and offsite PARs
- Faster notifications
- PA Plans have identified:
- Buildings requiring sheltering
- Ventilation shut off capabilities for buildings
- Allows for extended sheltering
- When evacuation might be considered
- Rapidly identifies conservative PA distances
- Tied to all events analyzed in EPHAs
- Improved interface with offsite agencies
- Better understanding of PARs

## Issues Discovered

- Having EALs and PA Plans in separate documents is inefficient
- Need to have both together
- Lack of personnel to implement onsite PAs
- Security forces needed for traffic control points
- Sometimes confusion over PA Plan zone distances
- Discrete distances associated with each PA Plan
- IC can set up PA and Isolation zones to any distance

## Issues Discovered

- PA Plans are ultra-conservative
- Impacts effective emergency response
- Staging areas and command posts too far from event limit ability to:
- Analyze event
- Effect rescue
- Implement offensive actions
- Can utilize actual weather conditions to shrink zones
- Increases effectiveness of emergency actions at the scene

## Issues Discovered

- Need for rapid communication of PAs for onsite personnel
- Need multiple (redundant) mechanisms to communicate PAs to onsite personnel
- Must decide which mechanism is most appropriate
- Geocast
- Tone Alert Radio (TAR)
- Building-wide messages are slower, but more focused
- Zone-wide messages are faster, but limited by # of zones
- Email system (SDN)
- Evacuation Captains (paged)

## Acknowledgement

- Funding for work on EALs and PA Plans was provided by Sandia National Laboratories / New Mexico

## Questions