Our Site Response Group ensures that AWE maintains a high quality emergency response capability, in order to meet potential current and future threats to its staff, assets and programmes; and to satisfy Licence condition 11 of the Nuclear Site Licenses for the Aldermaston and Burghfield Sites.
The aim of the response to any incident or emergency is to:
- PRESERVE life, health and the environment
- PREVENT deterioration of an incident
- PROMOTE recovery to a safe state, and
- PRIORITISE people, environment and property.
In order to achieve and maintain this response, AWE's Site Response Group:
- PRODUCE emergency plans
- TRAIN key emergency responders
- EXERCISE simulated events based on potential scenarios
- CO-ORDINATE all responding groups from the Situations Co-Ordination Centre or Burghfield Command Post under the direction of the Emergency Manager or the Burghfield Emergency Controller
- REVIEW all facility response plans, and
- ADVISE site as the Technical Authority on all aspects of emergency response.
| This capability is maintained on a 24 hours a day, 365 days a year basis through a team of specially trained responders. In the unlikely event of an emergency on site, the Site Response Group would co-ordinate the response of AWE’s emergency services and other response specialists, including the AWE Fire, Rescue and Ambulance services, Safety Shift, MoD Police, Health Physics, First Aiders, Special Operations Group, and Hazard Prediction. |
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West Berkshire Council produces an Off-site Plan detailing actions to be taken in the unlikely event of any situations which may pose a risk to the public. The AWE Emergency Manager may recommend to the Civil Police that this plan be implemented.
A Public Information Leaflet, which is periodically distributed to those living and working near AWE's sites as a requirement of the Radiation, Emergency Preparedness and Public Information Regulations 2001 (REPPIR), gives advice on measures to be taken by the local population in the unlikely event of an incident.