FEMA’s REP Program was established as a result of the accident, at the Three Mile Island Nuclear Generating Station on March 28, 1979. Then President Carter established a Presidential Commission, the Kemeny Commission, to conduct a comprehensive study and investigation of the recent accident at the facility.  

Among other things, the Kemeny Commission called for the formation of an emergency preparedness framework specific to nuclear power plant incidents. A portion of this responsibility would be allotted to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The Commission made four recommendations that affected FEMA:

1. Before a utility is granted an operating license for a new nuclear power plant, the state within which that plant is to be sited must have an emergency response plan reviewed and approved by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The agency should assess the criteria and procedures now used for evaluating state and local government plans and for determining their ability to activate the plans. FEMA must assure adequate provision, where necessary, for multi-state planning.

2. The responsibility at the federal level for radiological emergency planning, including planning for coping with radiological releases, should rest with FEMA. In this process, FEMA should consult with other agencies, including the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and the appropriate health and environmental agencies.

3. The state must effectively coordinate its planning with the utility and with local officials in the area where the plant is to be located.

4. States with plants already operating must upgrade their plans to the requirements to be set by FEMA. Strict deadlines must be established to accomplish this goal.

FEMA helps in securing the health and safety of citizens living around commercial nuclear power plants through providing reasonable assurance that the communities surrounding a nuclear power plant are adequately protected in the event of a nuclear power plant accident as well as to inform and educate the public about radiological emergency preparedness. FEMA will take into consideration plans, procedures, personnel, training, facilities, equipment, drills, and exercises, which in its professional judgment are important to the effective implementation of protective measures offsite in the event of any incident at a commercial nuclear power plant. 
FEMA is given the primary responsibility to help ensure that state, tribal and local communities are prepared and capable of responding to and recovering from a radiological release from a nuclear power plant.

REP Program responsibilities encompass only “offsite” activities, that is, state, tribal and local government emergency planning and preparedness activities that take place beyond the nuclear power plant boundaries.  Onsite activities continue to be the responsibility of the NRC.

The REP Program provides guidance and technical assistance through: 
* Reviewing and approving radiological emergency preparedness plans. 
* Managing and evaluating exercises that test those plans. 
* Training emergency personnel involved in a nuclear power plant incident. 
* Assessments that serve as a condition for a regulating commission in issuing licenses to the nuclear power plants. 

The REP Program is responsible for ensuring 
that the communities surrounding the 64 nuclear power plant facilities, with over 100 nuclear reactors nationwide, are prepared and capable to respond to an event. This effort involves working with nearly 500 state, tribal and local governments with over 4.7 million citizens living within a 10-mile radius of the facilities. The REP Program is the lead in ensuring that ‘offsite,’ or the area outside of the nuclear power facility, has radiological emergency preparedness guidance, policy and public education materials, which are well-coordinated and uniformly implemented to support the state, tribal and local  response organizations surrounding the nuclear power plants.

* In coordination with Federal and non-Federal emergency management and homeland security stakeholders, the FEMA REP Program: Develops and issues effective radiological emergency preparedness policies and guidance, which serve as a standard model nationwide for preparing for, responding to and managing other hazards. 
* Supports individual, family and community preparedness surrounding existing and future nuclear power plant facilities through planning, exercises, training and public education. 
* Equips the state, tribal and local emergency management and response personnel with the tools, training and guidance to support effective performance during an actual radiological event. 
* Corrects radiological emergency preparedness gaps, markets best practices/lessons learned and provides resources to enhance a constant state of readiness. 
* Minimizes the loss of lives and maximizes the health and safety of the public during a radiological incident. 

Ultimately, the REP Program plays a growing critical role in the support of individual and community preparedness as well as contributing to the long-term sustainability of the environment.





For more information about Radiological Emergency Preparedness Program visit: www.fema.gov/about/divisions/thd_repp.shtm




“FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.”




“FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.”