NH-ARES Operations Plan – Attachment I
ATTACHMENT I – Seabrook Station Nuclear Emergency Support Plan
08/03/2020
Seabrook Station is located in Seabrook, NH and is served by Eastern Rockingham County ARES® with support from other NH-ARES Groups as requested.
Purpose & Scope of Support: NH-ARES provides backup communication links between the State EOC, Incident Field Office (IFO) in Newington CT, Emergency Planning Zone (EPZ) town EOCs, and evacuation receiving communities during a nuclear power plant emergency or exercise.
2m FM voice will be the primary mode using town or state-owned equipment at each EOC. ARES operators should bring personal high-power go-kit stations as backup equipment. ECs will have primary responsibility for local planning and operations, with the Section providing additional support.
Message traffic will include backup copies of the 300B SITREP form and any general messages between the SEOC and other stations. As long as primary and secondary communications are functional, copies of forms and messages received via ARES nets should be held by the operator until requested by EOC staff. Should all regular means of communication fail, ARES will become the primary carrier, and messages will be immediately delivered to the designated EOC staff member.
Group Activation: When the power plant issues an Unusual Event or Site Area Emergency alert that requires the activation of local EOCs, New Hampshire Emergency Management staff will text and email, or call key Section and Eastern Rockingham County ARES leadership. Responding members should check into the designated repeater and travel quickly to their assignment so as to avoid traffic problems that might occur.
Strafford County ARES and Hillsboro County/Manchester ARES may also activate stations at reception centers, shelters, and the Dover and Manchester EOCs. The Red Cross may also open shelters and request communications support. Manchester sites may be able to establish direct links to the SEOC.
Backup Activation Plan: If Eastern Rockingham ARES leadership cannot be immediately reached, Section leadership may elect to alert resources by directly calling Group members, activating nearby Groups, or both.
Full-Scale ARES Activation: All NH-ARES Groups should monitor for serious developments, or for additional support requests. It is likely that Eastern Rockingham ARES will not have enough members available, and will need to request outside support, either through standing ARESMAT agreements with neighboring groups or through Section Leadership. In the event of a full-blown Site Area Emergency, all Groups will be activated at some level.
Network Operations: A directed net will be convened on the assigned repeater or an alternate as per local plans (see Attachment B of this plan for frequencies). The Section Coordination and Traffic Net may be convened as a resource net and to handle any formal traffic. The NCS for the Section Net should be well away from any danger area.
Operational Security: Transmit only official information provided to you by state or local officials, and only when requested to do so. Do not editorialize or add personal information or observations unless requested to do so by an official. Reporters and the public may be listening, and we don’t want to be the source of any rumors. Operators should not speak to anyone without an official “need to know” about information seen or overheard – including press, family, friends, other hams, and ARES members. This does not include publicly distributed information.
If all receiving stations have blank copies, official forms will be sent by transmitting only the Form 300B block numbers and contents, but not the block titles, to save valuable time. This partial information also makes it more difficult for casual listeners to figure out exactly what’s being said, and may help prevent rumors and panic.
Adjacent State Interoperability: The local NCS will assign at least one liaison station, preferably outside the EPZ, who can reach both the local and adjacent nets to monitor both and relay any official messages. Eastern Massachusetts ARES may be operating on the 146.625/131.8 repeater.
Travel Restrictions & Access: If evacuations are ordered from certain areas, major roads may be made one-way to accommodate the extra traffic flow out of the EPZ. Secondary and back roads may be the only way to reach your assignment. Be sure to carry your ARES ID card if deployed. If you need to get past a police blockade, present your ARES ID and explain that you are assigned to <insert location> as part of the emergency response, and that you have been directed to respond by the ARES representative at the State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC). Don’t argue with police or anyone assigned to traffic control. Explain the situation as best you can and be cooperative. If you are denied access, calmly move aside as directed and notify the State EOC via the net. If necessary, they will initiate a call to the State or local police asking them to let you pass.
Evacuation Areas: Do not travel into an evacuation area unless specifically asked to do so, and only if you are comfortable with the situation. Maintain as high a degree of situational awareness as possible. Listen to the net and also to local broadcast outlets for official Emergency Alert System (EAS) announcements.
Personal Safety: Per the state’s Radiological Emergency Response Plan (RERP), it is expected that state and local authorities will take all possible precautions to protect everyone working in their facilities. If radiation is released from the plant, you will be issued a personal radiation dosimeter which will be periodically checked by a trained radiological officer. If your exposure reaches a predetermined safety limit, you will be asked to leave the EPZ or directed to a nearby fallout shelter. You may also be asked to ingest Potassium Iodide (KI) pills, which helps prevent thyroid damage. Persons with shellfish allergies should not ingest KI. You should be familiar with and comfortable with the level of risk before volunteering for any EPZ location.
Frequencies: See Attachment B for Eastern Rockingham County ARES frequencies. The SEOC may also establish an ad hoc simplex VHF channel to the Manchester area stations. If a radio is available, the SEOC will also attempt to monitor the statewide ARES VHF frequency.
Information Resources:
- ARES EPZ net station checklists are available at www.nh-ares.org on the Forms page.
- The Seabrook annual EPZ calendar is available from the HSEM website. This is a PDF version of the paper calendars sent to all residents within the EPZs. These contain detailed emergency information that will be essential for responding ARES members.
- Seabrook Station EPZ Readiness Site:
NOTE: Web URLs are subject to change. If the link is dead, go to the root address (remove everything after the .gov or .com) and check menus for the new address.
