Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Safety topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Cooper Nuclear Station to rely on IPAWS; county, Shubert and Barada weigh siren insurance and coverage
Summary
Richardson County officials were notified that Cooper Nuclear Station will begin using IPAWS for emergency alerts, prompting discussion about removing a siren in Shubert and an insurance dispute over a Barada siren the village declined to insure.
Richardson County emergency management officials told the Board of Commissioners on June 3 that the Cooper Nuclear Station will begin relying on the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS) to notify people in the plant's emergency planning zones.
Brian Kirkendall, Richardson County Emergency Management Agency director, said Cooper furnished, insured and maintained an outdoor warning siren in the Village of Shubert but has notified the county that it will use IPAWS for future alerts. With that change, the Shubert siren would be removed unless another arrangement is made locally; Kirkendall said he plans to meet with the Shubert Village Board to discuss whether the village would assume insurance and/or maintenance responsibilities for a replacement siren.
The board also reviewed correspondence regarding an outdoor warning siren in the Village of Barada. The county had requested that the Village of Barada provide insurance for the siren while the county continued maintenance, but the village elected not to insure the unit at this time.
Board members did not take a final action at the meeting to assume responsibility for the Shubert siren or to change the county's maintenance responsibilities. The record shows the county is seeking to clarify insurance responsibilities with individual villages following Cooper Nuclear Station's notice about IPAWS.
