Top Performance From Nuclear Plant Sirens

Emergency sirens like this dot the landscape around nuclear plants to alert residents to any abnormal situation that may impact them. Local governments also use them to alert people of impending weather conditions.

January 15, 2019

The results are in for the FENOC fleet’s emergency siren testing conducted in 2018. Perry achieved 100- percent success, and for the first time, Davis-Besse also hit the century mark. Beaver Valley showed a 99.92-percent success rate. The NRC first began collecting this data in 1998.

Audible tests of emergency sirens are conducted on a regular basis. Siren functionality is monitored daily.

A 10-mile radius around each plant is its Emergency Planning Zone (EPZ). Beaver Valley supports 118 sirens in its EPZ, Perry has 76 and Davis-Besse 54. The plants installed the sirens and provide regular maintenance, but local governments also use them for severe weather and other public notification purposes.

“The positive test results validate a good preventive maintenance and testing program and reflects our fleet’s commitment to protecting the health and safety of the public,” said Davis-Besse Emergency Response Manager Jim Vetter.