Emergency Response Center

Emergency Response Centre

Emergency Response Centre (ERC) has been established at the Nuclear Regulatory Authority of the Slovak Republic to assess the course and consequences of incidents and accidents at major nuclear installations in terms of their potential impact on the environment, to prepare proposals for protective measures or recommendations for further action and to carry out exercises.

The basic modes of work of the Emergency Response Centre are defined in three basic levels:

  • monitoring level
  • emergency level
  • post-emergency level

Monitoring level

The monitoring level is the basic operational mode of ERC, it focuses on monitoring of the basic set of technological data and radiological situation in the nuclear installation (NI) sites and verification of the functionality of the facilities, the emergency information system of ERC and the means of communication. At this level, ERC produces up-to-date status reports on the status of the NIs, which contain a brief description of the operation and the radiological situation.

Emergency level

Change-over to the emergency level is on the basis of the classification of the event by the holder of the NI operating license or on the basis of changes in the monitored technological and radiation parameters. The transition is characterised by the verification of the declaration of an emergency condition, the alerting of the designated staff of the Authority and the subsequent analysis and evaluation of the current state of the NI in accident. The basic task of the ERC during the emergency level is the monitoring, analysis and evaluation of the status of the NI in accident and the radiation situation, including the prediction of the development of the further course of the accident. To ensure the tasks of the ERC at this level, the Emergency Staff of the Authority is established, which is divided into four working groups.

Post-Emergency Level

Once the emergency situation is resolved, the ERC goes to the emergency level and then back to the baseline monitoring level. This level is characterised by the preparation of final protocols on the progress, resolution and consequences of the accident of the NI and an investigation into the causes of the accident. Once all tasks have been completed in the supervision of the response to the NI accident, the operation of the ERC returns to the monitoring level.

Technical Means used in ERC

The Emergency Response Centre is technically and software equipped to perform all the functions of an emergency headquarters. The means of communication, which include telephone, fax and data lines, ensure the transmission of information and data. In the event of a complete failure of the phone link, a back-up satellite link is also available. In addition, the Emergency Response Centre uses software to assist with the assessment of the condition of nuclear power plants, the estimation of possible releases to the environment and to assist with the design of measures to protect the public. Tools are also available to facilitate the work of the emergency staff itself – a system for situational awareness and communication between emergency staff groups, preparation of rotation of members, access to the Authority’s website, etc.

The Authority has real-time outputs of relevant measurements from all nuclear facilities in the Slovak Republic and radiation and meteorological data from the Slovak Hydrometeorological Institute.

Updated: 06.09.2022