Assessment of Emergency Management at the Paducah Site – November 2017

November 2017

EA assessed the effectiveness of the Paducah Site readiness assurance program, which is a sitewide program element of a DOE emergency management program.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Emergency Management Assessments, within the independent Office of Enterprise Assessments (EA), assessed the Paducah Site from April 11 to May 11, 2017.  The purpose was to evaluate the contractors’ emergency management readiness assurance and exercise programs and Office of Environmental Management Portsmouth/Paducah Project Office (PPPO) oversight of the site’s emergency management program. 

Fluor Federal Services, Inc. (FFS) is responsible for the deactivation of the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant, which has transitioned from U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission to DOE oversight under DOE Order 151.1C, Comprehensive Emergency Management System.  In addition, FFS is the administrator of the Paducah Site contractors’ emergency services which include emergency management, fire, and protective force capabilities.  The FFS contract expired in July 2017, and these services are being transferred to the new contractor, Four Rivers Nuclear Partnership, LLC.  The DOE Paducah Site Lead requested that this assessment report focus on the contractors in place at the time of the assessment.  Once the final report is issued, the DOE Paducah Site Manager will formally direct, as appropriate, the Four Rivers Nuclear Partnership, LLC to evaluate and respond to the results of this assessment.