Emergency planning by the public authorities in Finland

ABSTRACT

The Finnish concept of off-site nuclear emergency response has reamined vitually constant since 1976, when the first public authoritie's emergency plan was prepared. The first principle is that of remote siting, meaning restrictions on land use within about 5 km from the power plant. In off-sitte emergency planning two zone are applied (1) for an area within a radius of about 20 km (zone I), a detailed off-site plan is required, including rapid alerting of the population and evacuations if necessary; (2) for the surrounding area, within a radius of about 100 km (zone II), the special requirements imposed by a potential nuclear accident have to be taken into account in the general emergency preparedness planning. The emphasis on contemplated protective measures for the public has shifted somewhat over the years. Earlier, evacuation was seen as the principal course of action and sheltering was considered mainly as precaution while awaiting a decision on evacuation. However, a commissioned study on the significance of evacuation and local sheltering pointed out that the level of sheltering afforded by large stone buildings and cellars is sufficient to reduce significantly the doses received. Consequently, the evacuation capacity could be to those areas where the buildings provide the poorest protection, i.e. summer cottages and wooden houses with no basements. Subsequently the Finnish Centre for Radiation and Nuclear Safety undertook a survey of the types of houses and building materials in the environs of the nuclear power plants. Rough estimates of the average protection factors of small houses, small houses cellars and the ground floor of typical apartment houses were made. (AU)