Emergency Preparedness

Warning sirens, the Emergency Alert System, and NOAA weather alerting radios will be activated by local emergency management officials to inform the public of any type of an emergency including an emergency at the Pantex Plant, severe weather, or chemical spills.

When warning sirens sound, you are warned by local law enforcement personnel, alerted by radio reports, or information is displayed on your TV set, turn on your radio and tune to one of the local EAS stations for official news and instructions. Official information may also be transmitted on local TV stations and cable systems.

Follow the instructions of local elected officials or emergency management officials that will be broadcast on weather radio, radio, or TV stations.

  • Keep your radio on throughout the duration of any incident to ensure that you receive updated information and instructions from emergency management officials.

  • Minimize routine telephone usage during an emergency. Do not call 911 for information about the incident — listen to the radio or TV. The telephone system will be needed by local governments and emergency service units responding to the emergency; unnecessary use could delay calls relating to emergency response.

Emergency Classifications

There are four classifications of Operational Emergencies at the Pantex Plant. An Operational Emergency is a major unplanned or abnormal incident or condition that involves or affects DOE facilities and activities by causing or having the potential to cause serious health and safety or environmental impacts and requires additional resources to supplement the planned initial response offsite. Local emergency management officials and the news media may use these terms in discussing an emergency at the Pantex Plant.

1. OPERATIONAL EMERGENCY, NOT FURTHER CLASSIFIED:
IT IS VERY UNLIKELY YOU WILL HAVE TO DO ANYTHING. An Operational Emergency, Not Further Classified is issued when there is a minor occurrence at the plant that should not affect areas outside the plant boundary. Federal, State, and local officials will be notified of the Operational Emergency and provided with appropriate incident conditions and developments.

2. ALERT:
IT IS UNLIKELY YOU WILL HAVE TO DO ANYTHING. An Alert is issued when there is a minor problem at the plant that should not affect areas outside the plant boundary. Federal, State, and local officials will be notified of the alert and provided with appropriate event conditions and developments.

3. SITE AREA EMERGENCY:
YOU MAY HAVE TO TAKE ACTION. A Site Area Emergency is declared when there is a more serious problem at the plant that may require protective actions for persons at the plant. Offsite emergency response personnel and equipment may be mobilized for immediate dispatch. Offsite authorities would be informed of plant response and event developments. Turn on your radio to station KGNC-AM (710) or KGNC-FM (97.9) for more information. Local emergency management officials will tell you what actions to perform, if any, in response to the incident.

4. GENERAL EMERGENCY:
SOME LOCAL RESIDENTS WILL LIKELY NEED TO TAKE ACTION. A General Emergency is declared when a very serious problem exists at the plant that may require protection of the public in affected areas. The warning sirens, the EAS, and other warning systems will be activated to provide residents with as much time as possible to initiate protective actions. Turn on your radio to station KGNC-AM (710) or KGNC-FM (97.9) for more information. The emergency management official will tell you what to actions to perform in response to the incident.

Preparation and Sheltering

There is little danger of a serious emergency at the Pantex Plant, but just in case, you should be prepared to initiate appropriate protective actions. This section provides important information that you and your family need to know in the event of a Pantex emergency. Be sure that you and your family understand the information in this section. Talk it over with your family, friends, and neighbors. In the event of an actual emergency, they may need your help or you may need theirs.

If there is an emergency and you live within Pantex’s 10-mile Emergency Planning Zone, you may hear warning sirens, be alerted by law enforcement personnel, or receive a warning on your weather radio, radio, or television. Local officials are responsible for turning on the warning sirens and issuing warnings through the EAS and other means. Warning Sirens cover most areas of the City of Amarillo and the Pantex Plant. When activated, the warning sirens will sound for approximately three to five (3-5) minutes with a steady tone. This is your signal to turn on your radio and tune it to one of the EAS stations, KGNC-AM (710) or KGNC-FM (97.9), for instructions. The warning sirens will be repeated frequently in the initial stages of any emergency that poses a possible hazard to local residents.

If You Are Advised To Shelter-In-Place

To protect yourself, you need to avoid physical contact with radioactive materials and avoid inhaling them:

Stay indoors in your home, work place, or a nearby building. Once inside, do not leave unless you are told it is safe to go out or you are advised by your emergency management officials or law enforcement personnel to evacuate.

  • Close all windows, doors, and fireplace dampers. This reduces the outside air that enters your home or work place.

  • Turn off any heating or cooling system that draws in air from the outside. If it becomes stuffy, use portable or ceiling fans to circulate the air inside.

  • If you have been outside during the period just before you were warned to take shelter, take a shower or at least wash your face and hands with a washcloth using soap and tepid water. Change into clean clothes; put the clothing you were wearing and the washcloth into a plastic bag.

  • Keep your radio on and tuned to one of the local EAS stations- KGNC-AM (710) or KGNC-FM (97.9). Listen for information and instructions.

  • Begin to assemble items you may need in case you are advised to evacuate.

  • If you must go outdoors, cover your nose and mouth with a damp cloth to avoid inhaling any radioactive materials that might be present.

What to Take With You
You may have to be away from home for a few days. If possible, take along the following items:

  • Extra clothing and shoes

  • Spare pair of eyeglasses and important medicines

  • Sleeping bag (or two blankets) and a pillow for each person

  • Proper identification • Checkbook, credit cards, and cash

  • Portable radio and flashlight (with extra batteries)

  • Special supplies for infants and elderly family members

  • A list of family physicians and other important numbers

  • Your address book or a list of phone numbers for relatives and friends.

What Else To Do

  • Turn off your lights. Leave your refrigerator and freezer on.

  • If you plan to take your pets, bring a leash or carrier for them. Otherwise, leave animals with access to food and water.

  • Lock windows and doors. Leave your home or work center as you would if you were going on a short trip.

  • Do not worry about your home while you are away. Roadblocks will be established to keep people out of areas that have been evacuated.

Make A Plan

Your community has an emergency management program in place to minimize the impact of disasters. However, it is up to each person to know what to do in times of emergency. A plan should be developed and practiced before an emergency. We encourage you to make a plan today! Planning before an emergency helps to prepare you for the actions that should be taken in order to protect you and your family. Planning before an emergency also allows you to identify areas or items that should be addressed before an actual emergency. Some on-line resources to assist with making a plan:

Animal Safety

In the event of a radiological release, animals that reside outdoors will have the possibility of coming in contact with radiological contamination. Therefore, if livestock are in the sectors ordered to shelter-in-place, they should initially remain in their normal surroundings. If you must evacuate, the most important thing you can do to ensure your pets’ survival is to take them with you. Prepare now for when you or your pets may have to leave your home. Assemble a pet disaster supply kit by referring to online resources for making an animal plan:

Emergency Communication Tips

• It is important to identify someone outside of your community or State who can act as a central point of contact to help your household reconnect. In a disaster, it may be easier to make a long-distance phone call than to call across town because local phone lines can be overwhelmed.

• During a disaster, TEXT is best. This will minimize network congestion, free up space on the network for emergency communications and conserve battery power. Keeping charged batteries, back-up power for your mobile phone, and a car phone charger is highly recommended.

• Maintain a household landline and analog phone that can be used when mobile service is unavailable. If you evacuate and have a call-forwarding feature on your home phone, forward your home phone to your mobile phone number.

• Keep phone numbers written down, challenge your household members to recite important phone numbers from memory.

• Practice your plan! Once contact information has been collected, contact cards have been created and distributed to family members, and an emergency communication plan has been made, put it in to practice. Continue to review, update, and practice as needed.