No need to worry, though, it’s just a drill.

Emergency and governmental personnel need to exercise their procedures and tactics, basically what they would do, in case a real event occurs at the plant, such as a release of radioactive material in the form of a plume.

While they perform their simulated response, they’ll be graded by personnel from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The drill is required every two years due to the county’s proximity to the Beaver Valley plant operated by Vistra.

“In order for Beaver Valley Power Station to have a license to operate, the company must prove to FEMA and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission that they have plans and procedures in place,” Columbiana County Emergency Management Agency Director Peggy Clark said.

A reception center will be simulated at the Middleton Township Volunteer Fire Department as pictured here for the emergency response drill to be performed over three days in case of an emergency at the nuclear power plant. (Photo provided by CCEMA Director Peggy Clark)

The whole idea is to show off-site response aimed at protecting the health and safety of the public.

Communities in the southeastern part of the county fall within the plant’s 10-mile emergency planning zone.

“All this training and preparation we do is important,” Clark said.

She noted that a lot of the activities done in preparation for past exercises were used in response to the East Palestine train disaster in 2023 and can be used for any type of emergency that comes up.

She said residents can expect to see lots of vehicles, emergency personnel and other responders like the American Red Cross at the various locations used for staging parts of the drill. Signs will be posted at those locations so the public understands the activity is related to a drill, not a real emergency. Postings will be placed on social media, too. There may be limited radio traffic.

“We just don’t want anybody to be alarmed. This is just an exercise. There’s no actual emergency,” Clark said.

On Monday, she said FEMA personnel will arrive along with EMA personnel from other counties in the vicinity of nuclear power plants to act as controllers for the exercise.

Ohio has the Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station in Oak Harbor and the Perry Nuclear Power Plant in Perry, with the Beaver Valley Nuclear Power Station just over the border in Shippingport, Pa., all owned by Vistra. Those EMA directors and staff expected to take part will come from Ottawa, Lucas, Geauga, Lake and Ashtabula counties. The company also owns a plant in Texas known as Commanche Peak.

On Monday evening, the drill begins at the Middleton Township Fire Department on Richardson Avenue in Negley where a reception center will be demonstrated. Participants will also include American Red Cross, Columbiana County Health District, East Palestine Amateur Radio and the Community Emergency Response Team known as CERT.

On Tuesday, the Ohio State Highway Patrol will demonstrate traffic and access control points, East Liverpool City Schools will show how the district would respond and there will be demonstrations of communications between radio personnel at the county Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and the state.

The full EOC exercise will take place Tuesday evening after a scenario begins regarding an emergency at the nuclear power plant. Normally the details about the scenario are kept from the EMA and first responders, but Clark did say “we know part of the scenario will include intruders on site at the plant.”

That will mean a strong law enforcement presence at the plant, which is also part of the exercise.

The EOC includes members of the EMA staff, the county commissioners, the American Red Cross, health district, the sheriff’s office, engineer’s office, Ohio State Highway Patrol, school services, fire, EMS, utilities, Community Emergency Response Team and radio personnel, including East Palestine, Lisbon and Triangle amateur radio groups.

The executive team, which makes decisions, includes Clark, the sheriff, the county engineer and the county commissioners.

On Wednesday, the American Red Cross will set up a shelter at United Local Schools on state Route 9, Hanover Township, with Lisbon Amateur Radio participating. An emergency personnel decontamination facility will be demonstrated at the Beaver Local Sports Complex on state Route 7, Lisbon, on Wednesday evening, with Lisbon and West Point fire departments and Triangle Amateur Radio of East Liverpool participating.

On Friday at 11 a.m. at the EMA office in Lisbon, a FEMA representative will announce the results of the biennial exercise on how to deal with a simulated incident at the power plant. Then at 5:30 p.m. Friday, FEMA will talk about the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System known as IPAWS.

Clark said several hundred participants will be involved over the three days. The drills first started in 1979 after the Three Mile Island disaster and the subsequent creation of FEMA.

“We appreciate all of the volunteers who come out and assist with these exercises. We recognize the dozens of hours they invest in training for these exercises,” she said.

The agency and first responders recently held a dry run to prepare for next week’s drill. The agency has consistently been getting good grades for the results of the exercise.

mgreier@mojonews.com