A joint emergency response exercise was successfully held at Chornobyl NPP on May 16. It was the first emergency drill after liberating the site from the russian occupation forces.

The subject was fire in the New Safe Confinement’s main space (space under the Arch) followed by deterioration of the radiation situation.

Goal of this exercise was to check preparedness of ChNPP staff for the most complicated emergency situations and accidents taking into account the status of ChNPP after the seizure and number of personnel available at the site. In addition, the exercise was aimed at working out the practical actions of ChNPP operating staff during fire at the facility and interaction with a Fire-Rescue Department and a Military Unit No. 3041 of The National Guard of Ukraine.

In this scenario, ignition occurred at a temporary storage site for fragmented elements of the Shelter’s metal structures during fire work. Smoke and increased activity concentration in aerosols was reported in the NSC’s main space.

Tasks of participants of the emergency drill were to notify personnel about the event, coordinate actions with the military for unimpeded access of firefighters, organize evacuation of the personnel, as well as to ensure dosimetric permit and carry out radiation survey on site of “fire”.

In addition to firefighters and national guardsmen, managers and workers of the Shelter (NSC) Operation Shop, Radiation Safety Shop and Physical Protection Service took part in the emergency drill.

“The emergency response exercise was successful. Despite the fact that the plant was under occupation for more than a month, the ChNPP staff has not lost its vigilance, and during the drill demonstrated its high professionalism and well coordinated interaction” – commented Dmytro Kondratov, Head of Emergency Preparedness and Response Department.