Information Notice 1986-97, Emergency Communications System

Emergency Communications System

ML031250219
Person / Time
Site:	Beaver Valley, Millstone, Hatch, Monticello, Calvert Cliffs, Dresden, Davis Besse, Peach Bottom, Browns Ferry, Salem, Oconee, Mcguire, Nine Mile Point, Palisades, Palo Verde, Perry, Indian Point, Fermi, Kewaunee, Catawba, Harris, Wolf Creek, Saint Lucie, Point Beach, Oyster Creek, Watts Bar, Hope Creek, Grand Gulf, Cooper, Sequoyah, Byron, Pilgrim, Arkansas Nuclear, Braidwood, Susquehanna, Summer, Prairie Island, Columbia, Seabrook, Brunswick, Surry, Limerick, North Anna, Turkey Point, River Bend, Vermont Yankee, Crystal River, Haddam Neck, Ginna, Diablo Canyon, Callaway, Vogtle, Waterford, Duane Arnold, Farley, Robinson, Clinton, South Texas, San Onofre, Cook, Comanche Peak, Yankee Rowe, Maine Yankee, Quad Cities, Humboldt Bay, La Crosse, Big Rock Point, Rancho Seco, Zion, Midland, Bellefonte, Fort Calhoun, FitzPatrick, McGuire, LaSalle, 05000000, Zimmer, Fort Saint Vrain, Shoreham, Satsop, Trojan, Atlantic Nuclear Power Plant, Skagit, Marble Hill, Crane
Issue date:	11/28/1986
From:	Jordan E NRC/IE
To:
References
IN-86-097, NUDOCS 8611240083
Download: ML031250219 (4)

SSINS No. 6835 IN 86-97 UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY

COMMISSION

OFFICE OF INSPECTION

AND ENFORCEMENT

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20555 NOVEMBER 28, 1986 IE INFORMATION

NOTICE NO. 86-97: EMERGENCY

COMMUNICATIONS

SYSTEM

Addressees

All nuclear power reactor facilities

holding an operating

license and the fol-lowing fuel facilities:

Nuclear Fuel Services of Erwin, General Atomics, UNC Montville, B&W LCR Lynchburgh, and B&W Lynchburgh.

Purpose

This notice is being issued to more clearly define the emergency

communications

system (i.e., the emergency

notification

system and health physics network) and to provide guidance on the operation

and testing of the system. No specific action or written response is required by this information

notice.Discussion:

Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 50, Appendix E, Paragraph

E.9, requires that the licensee have an emergency

communications

system. The system currently

in use and acceptable

to the NRC consists of two subsystems

-the emergency

notification

system (ENS) and the health physics network (HPN).These networks are funded by the Nuclear Regulatory

Commission (NRC). The ENS is an automatic

ring-down

service that provides dedicated

telephone

service to the NRC Operations

Center. Originally, the HPN system was a dial-up dedicated circuit between the licensee's

facilities, the regions and the NRC headquarters.

The HPN requires special equipment

that has been subject to reliability

and maintainability

problems and can no longer economically

provide the necessary level of service. The NRC is replacing

the original HPN equipment

with normal commercial

dial-up service pending a permanent

solution.The ENS portion of the emergency

communications

system is designed to (1) facil-itate the licensee's

timely notifications

to the NRC of off-normal

incidents affectina

the facility and (2) provide information

concerning

the operation

and status of the plant to the NRC Operations

Center. The HPN is designed to provide health physics and environmental

information

to the NRC Operations

Center in the event of an ongoing emergency.

Licensees

must provide qualified

personnel

to maintain an open, continuous

communications

channel with the NRC Operations

Center upon request by the NRC, as required by 10 CFR 50.72(c)(3).

The licensee is responsible

for supplying

timely, reliable information

concerning

an event to the NRC via the Operations

Center in Bethesda, Maryland.

Members of the NRC will not relieve the licensee of this responsibility.

8611240083 IN 86-97 November 28, 1986 The ENS system is exercised

each morning, usually between the hours of 0400 and 0800 Eastern time, by the Headquarters

Operations

Officer's

placement

of a call to each licensed facility to collect status information.

However, this call does not fully satisfy 10 CFR Part 50, Appendix E, Paragraph

E.9.d., which requires each licensee to perform monthly testing from the control room, the technical support center (TSC) and the emergency

operations

facility (EOF).The monthly tests of the ENS and HPN instruments

from all installed

locations except the NRC Resident Inspector's

Office should be done at the initiative

of the licensee.

It should be noted that it is not necessary

to conduct monthly tests of the ENS and HPN instruments

to the NRC regional office because that connection

is made through the Operations

Center. In the case of the ENS, it is necessary

for the licensee to call from each ENS location and establish contact with the NRC Headquarters

Operations

Officer. The Headquarters

Oper-ations Officer should be requested

to return the licensee's

call at each of the locations.

The licensee also should be aware that on occasion it may be necessary

to delay a particular

test because of the heavy volume of traffic being experienced

at the NRC Operations

Center. All HPN instruments

installed at the licensees

facilities

should be tested by placing a local call to any other telephone

and request a call back to ensure the instrument

is working.No call to the NRC Operations

Center is required.

Documentation

of the monthly test for the entire emergency

communications

system is required to be maintained

by the licensee.The following

information

is provided to the licensee in recognition

that the new commercial

service for the HPN has raised questions

about its use and oper-ation: The new system is standard commercial

telephone

service and requires no complicated

or sophisticated

operating

instruction.

It is only necessary to lift the receiver and dial (301)-951-1212 to get the NRC Operations

Center. This telephone

is installed

and operated at the expense of the NRC. Its intended use is to permit licensee personnel

to transmit health physics and environmental

information

to the NRC through the Operations

Center in Bethesda, Maryland in radiological

events and exercises.

No other licensee use. other than required testing is permitted.

Licensees must take appropriate

precautions

to ensure that the telephone

is readily available

for the purpose described

here and for the monthly tests.Licensees

should ensure that the system is not used for other purposes.The development

and implementation

of appropriate

precautions

is left to the discretion

of the licensee, but should be consistent

with the general administrative

controls and procedures

of the individual

facility.The HPN telephone

instrument, manufactured

by ITT, is a distinct ash/almond

color, and is identified

as "HPN Telephone." Stickers are attached to each instrument

providing

the primary and backup phone numbers of the NRC Opera-tions Center. Most facilities

have installed

these instruments

in the TSC and EOF, although some plants will need to deviate from those locations based on where protective

measure information

is centrally

collected.

IN 86-97 November 28, 1986 Should either or both of the emergency

communications

subsystems (ENS and HPN)fail, the Operations

Center in Bethesda, Maryland, should be so informed over normal commercial

telephone

systems by calling 301-951-0550

or one of the following

backup numbers: 301-427-4056

301-427-4259

301-492-8893 A collect call to any of these numbers will be accepted.

NRC will make arrange-ments to have the failed system returned to normal operation.

At the time the failure is reported, the licensee should be prepared to supply the following information

to expedite repair: (1) name of contact at location of failure, (2) commercial

phone number of contact, (3) location of contact (i.e., street address, building number, room number, etc.), and (4) any other information

that would expedite repair.No specific action or written response is required by this information

notice.If you have questions

about this matter, please contact the Regional Adminis-trator of the appropriate

regional office or the technical

contact listed below.Edward Jordan, Director Divisio of Emergency

Preparedness

and Engineering

Response Office of Inspection

and Enforcement

Technical

Contact: H. Michael Hawkins, IE 301-492-4145 Attachment:

List of Previously

Issued IE Information

Notices

Attachment

1 IN 86-97 November 28. 1986 LIST OF RECENTLY ISSUED ic ,;.FRMATICN

i. .ni- -A ----uste or Noti ce No.86-96 86-95 86-94 86-93 88-82 Rev. 1 86-92 S6-91 Subject Heat Exchanger

Fouling Can Cause Inadequate

Operability.

Of Service Water Systems Leak Testing Iodine-125 Sealed Sources In Lixi, Inc.Imaging Devices and Sons Mineral Analyzers Hilti Contreta Expansion Anchor Boits usto or Issue 11/20/86 11/14/86 11/6/86.IED 85-03 Evaluation

Of 11/3/85 Motor-Oporators

Identifies

Improper Torque Switch Settings Failures Of Scram Discharge

1V4/85 Volume Vent And Drain Valves Issued to All power reactor facilities

holding an OL or CP All NRC licensees authorized

to use Lixi. Inc. imaging devices All powaer reactor facilities

holding an OL or C?All power reactor facilities

holding an OL or CP All power reactor facilities

holding an OL or CP All PWR facilities

holding an OL or CP All powe reactor facilities

holding an OL or CP; fuel fabrication

and processing

facilities

All powr reactor facilities

holding an OL or CP All SWR facilities

holding an OL or CP All power reactor facilities

holding an OL or CP Pressurizer

Safety Valve Reliability

Limiting Access Authori zations Requests To Dispose Of Very Low-Lavel

Radioactive

Waste Pursuant to 10 CFR 20.302 Uncontrolled

Rod Withdrawal

Because Of A Singhe Failure Main Steam Safety Valve Test Failures And Ring Setting Adjustments

1V4/86 11V3/86 1V3/86 10/16/86 10/16/86 86-39 86-05 Sup. 1 OL = Operating

License CU a Construction

Permit UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY

COMMISSION

WASHINGTON.

D.C. 2O555 OFFICIAL BUSINESS PENALTY FOR PRIVATE USE. $300 FIRST CLASS MAIL POSTAGS. FEES PAMO USNRC WAS. D.C.PERMIT ie 047 13357510300

1 lCOlCY1FB11A1 NUS CORP LFS LYLE GRABER LICENSING

ENGINEER 2536 COUNTRYSIDE

BLVD CLEARWATER

FL 33575