EM’s Paducah Site recently completed construction of a 3,500-square-foot facility to house its new Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and provide continuity for emergency management.
Office of Environmental Management
August 1, 2023
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PADUCAH, Ky. – EM’s Paducah Site recently completed construction of a 3,500-square-foot facility to house its new Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and provide continuity for emergency management.
Built to withstand tornado-force winds, the new facility was constructed with thick, steel-reinforced concrete walls and roof. The hardened structure’s windows are designed to sustain direct impacts from debris, and its ventilation system provides clean air for occupants.
The state-of-the-art facility replaces the former EOC, established in the site’s C-300 Central Control Building built during the 1950s. The new modern facility will house emergency management personnel and be used to direct and coordinate emergency responses when necessary.
“The modern EOC facility further improves Paducah’s ability to effectively respond to emergent events across the Paducah Site,” said Portsmouth/Paducah Project Office Program Manager Joel Bradburne. “The level of detail that went into planning the design and construction of this facility speaks to the dedication our site workers have to ensuring safety at the site.”
Emergency management personnel have begun the process of configuring the Emergency Operations Center for activation. Work stations and information technology networks are being set up and tested to prepare for the center’s cadre training and familiarization of the new facility.
In addition to the tornado-proofing and advanced ventilation and filtration system, the new facility is equipped with a 980-gallon diesel generator designed to provide backup power for 72 hours without the need to refuel. Numerous energy efficient fixtures and optimized mechanical systems ensure the facility can run efficiently and effectively when at full building load without an impact to the operations for emergency management at the site.
EM’s Paducah Site deactivation and remediation contractor, Four Rivers Nuclear Partnership (FRNP), operates the EOC and provides emergency response, including fire, security, medical and other important functions to support emergency response for the site.
“Our team constructed a facility critical to supporting the entire Paducah Site in the event of an actual emergency,” FRNP Program Manager Myrna Redfield said. “With the new EOC constructed, the Paducah Site is well-positioned to respond quickly and efficiently when called upon to do so.”
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