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Brevard County Safety Exercises Continue Today

By  //  January 23, 2014

mass-contamination/exposure scenario

BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA — Brevard County’s Interstate-95 rest area south of Palm Bay is the site of a three-part multi-agency emergency response and public safety exercise that involves a mass-contamination/exposure scenario.

Paramedics evaluated the driver of the vehicle and he was then airlifted to Holmes Regional Medical Center’s Trauma Center in Melbourne. (SpaceCoastDaily.com file image)
Brevard County is within 50 miles of the St. Lucie Nuclear Power Plant and as such, would host and shelter evacuees from areas surrounding the plant, in the event of a radiological incident. As part of the emergency preparedness planning process, Brevard County must demonstrate the ability to perform certain functions on a biennial basis. (SpaceCoastDaily.com file image)

Part Two is scheduled for 8 a.m. today. Part Three of the exercise will be conducted at the Brevard County Emergency Operations Center in Rockledge on Wednesday, Feb. 19.

Part One of the exercise was held on Jan. 8.

Participating agencies include Brevard County Office of Emergency Management, Brevard County Fire Rescue and Brevard County Sheriff’s Office, Florida Highway Patrol, Florida Department of Transportation, Florida Department of Health in Brevard County, American Red Cross, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Florida Department of Health Bureau of Radiation Control, Florida Division of Emergency Management, and regional partners, including St. Lucie County, Indian River County, Martin County and Palm Beach County.

EXERCISING RECEPTION CENTER CAPABILITIES

A public safety drill exercising reception center capabilities as part of a planned response by Brevard County emergency services organizations to an emergency situation at the St. Lucie Nuclear Power Plant.

palm bay csi 14_edited-1
A public safety drill exercising reception center capabilities as part of a planned response by Brevard County emergency services organizations to an emergency situation at the St. Lucie Nuclear Power Plant.

Northbound rest area on Interstate 95, just south of the Malabar Road northbound exit at mile marker 168. (It is the first rest area coming into the county from the south on I-95.) The rest area will remain open to the public.

Brevard County is within 50 miles of the St. Lucie Nuclear Power Plant and as such, would host and shelter evacuees from areas surrounding the plant, in the event of a radiological incident. As part of the emergency preparedness planning process, Brevard County must demonstrate the ability to perform certain functions on a biennial basis.

ST. LUCIE NUCLEAR POWER PLANT

The St. Lucie Nuclear Power Plant is located on Hutchinson Island, about 4 miles east-northeast of the City of Port St. Lucie. The facility is owned and operated by Florida Power & Light Co.
The St. Lucie Nuclear Power Plant is located on Hutchinson Island, about 4 miles east-northeast of the City of Port St. Lucie. The facility is owned and operated by Florida Power & Light Co.

This year’s drill will demonstrate to FEMA (the federal agency that provides oversight to the nuclear power plant contingency planning process) Brevard’s response capabilities involving traffic control, public health and sheltering, emergency worker monitoring and decontamination, emergency vehicle and equipment monitoring and decontamination, site security and property registration.

The St. Lucie Nuclear Power Plant is located on Hutchinson Island, about 4 miles east-northeast of the City of Port St. Lucie. The facility is owned and operated by Florida Power & Light Co.

Hazmat teams in gear, decontamination tent, portal monitors, handheld radiological detection equipment, Florida Department of Health and Red Cross workers, responder equipment, vehicles and trailers, and the bomb squad robot.