More than a thousand people, including public officials and local residents, took part in the simulations
By First Lieutenant (RM2-T) Thaís Cerqueira – Angra dos Reis, RJ
With more than a thousand people taking part, the 29th edition of the Integrated General Exercise for Emergency Response and Nuclear Physical Security, held in Angra dos Reis (RJ), ended yesterday (17). The aim of the “Itaorna Exercise” was to evaluate the procedures for evacuating the population and to test the performance and capacity of the institutions and agents responsible for response actions in the event of an accident at the Almirante Álvaro Alberto Nuclear Power Plant (CNAAA).
The exercise took place under the coordination of the Office of Institutional Security of the Presidency of the Republic (GSI/PR), the central body of the Brazilian Nuclear Program Protection System. Yesterday (17), the Minister of GSI/PR, General Marcos Antonio Amaro dos Santos, accompanied the training. The Commander of the Fleet Marine Force, Vice Admiral Renato Rangel Ferreira, and the representative of the Navy’s General Directorate of Personnel, Rear Admiral Neyder Camillo de Barros, were also present.
The activity involved the activation of command and control centers at various levels to ensure coordination and an appropriate response. “In this edition, we are exercising the role of inspection and monitoring, fulfilling our role with the Brazilian State and the International Atomic Energy Agency, in order to provide the best security for our Brazilian Nuclear Program Protection System,” explained the Director of the GSI’s Nuclear Coordination Department, Captain Marcelo do Nascimento Marcelino.
Several actions were part of the program: activation of the alert and alarm system using emergency sirens; aeromedical evacuation of a radio accident victim to the Marcílio Dias Naval Hospital, in the capital of Rio de Janeiro; distribution of potassium iodide kits; evacuation of the CNAAA and part of the population living in the Emergency Planning Zones; concentration of part of the population at assembly and embarkation points; sweeping by vehicles and drones within a 5 km radius of the nuclear power plants; maritime evacuation with the participation of the population; and collection of soil, air, water and vegetation samples at different locations.
Navy presence
In addition to exercising the Joint Command, the Brazilian Navy (MB) took part in Exercise “Itaorna” through the Component Naval Force, employing more than 600 military personnel, as well as ships, aircraft and Naval Force equipment.
A Civic-Social Action was held on the premises of the Federal Center for Technological Education (Cefet) in Mambucaba Park, with a range of activities and services, including medical, pediatric and dental care, vaccinations, haircuts, talks on oral hygiene and information on joining the MB.
On the 15th, the Naval College hosted an exhibition, open to the public, with displays of equipment, vehicles and vessels from the MB, Civil Defense, Brazilian Army, Military Police and Fire Brigade, used during the simulations.
According to the Joint Commander, Rear Admiral Elson Luiz de Oliveira Góis, MB’s participation, along with other federal, state and municipal institutions, is an opportunity to improve the synergy between the actors that make up the Brazilian Nuclear Program Protection System.
“The exercise is an excellent opportunity to train the Brazilian Armed Forces to act in support of the Government of the State of Rio de Janeiro, bodies and agencies that are part of the Brazilian Nuclear Program Protection System, in the evacuation, health care, rescue and protection of the population and the environment, in a nuclear emergency situation in an area adjacent to the Almirante Álvaro Alberto Nuclear Power Plant, in the city of Angra dos Reis,” he explained.
Source: Agência Marinha de Notícias