International Atomic Energy Agency Department of Nuclear Safety and Security

Incident and Emergency Centre ConvEx exercises – evaluation and challenges

IAEA

ConvEx exercises

• The Operations Manual for Incident and

Emergency Communication (EPR-IEComm 2012)

defines the Convention Exercises (ConvEx) which

are divided into 3 series of increasing complexity

• Provides opportunity to:

• Evaluate adequacy of established communication and

co-operation protocols

• Identify shortcomings in international and national

response systems

IAEA

Types of ConvEx exercises

3

ConvEx-1’s:

• To test that National Warning Points are continuously available, whether fax contacts and

USIE alert channels are accurate and that Contact Points can access USIE properly. • Basic communication tests checking, correct communication channels and response times

• Announced, but exact date/time not made known

ConvEx-2’s

• To test whether National Competent Authorities can appropriately fill out reporting forms,

to drill the appropriate procedures for information exchange, requesting and providing

assistance and to practice the IAEA’s assessment and prognosis process. • Small to medium effort exercises with a hypothetical scenario

• Announced and invitations to participate are sent out

ConvEx-3’s

• To test the full operation of the information exchange mechanisms and requesting and

providing assistance. • Round the clock operations over 2-3 days

• Announced, invitations to participate are sent out

• Detailed player, controller and evaluation guides are made available

• Exercise report produced and distributed

IAEA

ConvEx-1a

• Objective: To test that NWPs for receiving notifications are available continuously

• Conducted once per year

• fax to all contact points

• event on USIE Exercise with request to confirmation (alert channel)

• It is expected that: 1. NWPs send an acknowledgement of receipt by fax or email within 30 minutes

to the IEC; and

2. NCA(A)s, no later than their next working day, access USIE Exercise and confirm the message on USIE.

• No template yet on USIE

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IAEA

ConvEx-1a results

38%

18%

23%

21%

NWPs performance

timely response

not timely response

no response

could not be contacted by fax

IAEA

ConvEx-1a results

54%

4%

26%

16%

NCAA performance

timely response

not timely response

no response

could not be contacted byfax

IAEA

ConvEx-1b

• Objective: To test that NWPs are available continuously and that NCAs can promptly respond to received notifications

• Conducted once per year

• message to all NWPs and NCA(A)s by fax,

• Event on USIE with confirmation request

• It is expected that: 1. NWPs acknowledge <30 minutes;

2. NCA(A)s acknowledge <2 hours

• No template

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IAEA

ConvEx-1b results

8%

2%

11%

79%

Response of CPs not defined

received and responded intime

received and respondedtoo late

received but did respond

didn't receive

IAEA

ConvEx-1c

• Message to administrators

• Annually (usually in April)

• Confirmation of users and alert channels

• Statistics and key issues identified • The number of Admins that had completed the

exercise 3 weeks after initial deadline increased in 2015 compared to 2014 (88% vs 64%). A positive trend

• Administrators not always informing IEC when replaced

IAEA

Objectives of ConvEx exercises ConvEx-2a: complete forms

• Objective: To test the ability of NCAs to complete the

appropriate reporting forms

• Exercise:

1. The IEC invites NCA(A)s to participate and to coordinate the

participation of NCA(D)s in this exercise

2. IEC sends to participating NCAs a series of messages describing

developing conditions in a scenario (conducted once a year, and lasts

no more than 4 hours)

It is expected that the participating NCAs will complete and submit forms

on USIE within 1 hour of receipt of each message.

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IAEA

Participation statistics NCA(A)s participation in ConvEx 2a and 2b. 2009-2014

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38%

19% 12%

16%

9%

no participation

participation < 25%

25% < participation < 50%

50% < participation < 75%

participation > 75%

IAEA

Comments on the 2a, 2012 – 2015

27 Sept 2012; 15 July 2013 with Morocco; 23 Oct 2013; 29 April

2014; 18 March 2015 - participation of 67% of all MS who operate

NPP’s; 17 Feb 2016

• USIE versus faxes - delay the sharing of info on USIE

• SRF versus ENF - clarifications in the next edition of the

IEComm

• MPAs were designed for NPP scenarios; customize SRF,

GENF; currently (2016) we would ask that IRMIS is used

• Instructions for the completion of forms - Section 4 of EPR-

IEComm 2012 Attachment 1 - Sufficient information is

provided? Would you be able to assess?

IAEA

Comments on the 2a (cont.)

• Assigning emergency classifications to non NPP events

• Basis for a declaration of an emergency class

• Confidentiality indication

• Use of acronyms - please spell out the terms

• All submissions should be in English

• Significant changes in the evolution of an event should be

communicated in a prompt manner

• correct use of the USIE and USIE exercise sites

• NCAs carry out periodic familiarisation to USIE

• NCAs to test, maintain and update current contact details and

periodically test receipt channels

IAEA

Objectives of ConvEx exercises ConvEx-2b: assistance procedures

• Objective: To test the arrangements for a request and the

provision of assistance

• Exercise:

1. The IEC invites NCAs to participate and to coordinate the

participation of relevant national capabilities in the exercise

2. The IEC forwards messages from the Accident State to

participating Contact Points (conducted once per year, and lasts up

to 3 days in normal working hours )

3. Coordination of international assistance

• It is expected that other participating NCAs review the

information and decide whether they are in a condition to

render the requested assistance

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IAEA

Comments on the 2b, 2012 – 2015

• 30 July to 1 August 2012, 2-4 Sept 2014, 25 to 27 August

2015

• Conduct of the exercises is not in real time – should the

ConvEx-2b exercise conducted in real time?

• Exercise did not focus on the coordination of the different

States providing assistance – should this be included the

scope of future exercises?

• Availability of IES staff has to be considered – suggestion to

match with IES Full Response Exercises

IAEA

Comments on the 2b (cont.)

• Different (and numerous) assistance scenarios

• There is a limited capability of the IEC to facilitate the

exercise

• Offers of assistance were not detailed enough –

more guidance (in IEComm) needed?

• Further enhanced USIE to improve the Request for

Assistance form and also create a new Offer of

Assistance form - effective as of 11 December

2014

IAEA

Comments on the 2b (cont.)

• All State Parties are reminded about Article 7 of the

Assistance Convention which details the legal basis for

Reimbursement of Costs and Section 3.8 of EPR-RANET

2013 - be prepared to activate internal mechanisms to

reimburse the costs, either wholly or partly, of any

international assistance that may be received

• In future ConvEx-2b scenarios are distributed to the

Requesting States prior to the exercise with expectation

that they should submit their reports and requests for

assistance at the start of the exercise. This would enable

more exercise play to focus on the coordination of

assistance rather than the communication on requests and

offers. Opinions?

IAEA

Comments on the 2b (cont.)

• IEC should consider exercising fewer scenarios in future

ConvEx-2b exercises of this type – regional basis, selected

“full” scenarios?

• Suggestion was made by one counterpart that an

unannounced ConvEx-2b exercise could be conducted.

Opinions?

• IEC should develop exercise patient data for scenarios

which include a medical support component

• Draft guidance provided for preparing OFA’s, combined

with the new OFA form on USIE was useful

• Except in cases of very high confidentiality, it is advisable

to use the “For Authority Use Only” option (which is pre-

selected by default) in OFA and RFA

IAEA

Comments on the 2b (cont.)

• During the development and review of one of the AAP’s,

the Requesting State observed that they felt that the work

plan section did not contain a sufficient level of detail such

as including information regarding to where the individual

assisting teams would be asked to work, with whom and

who their local contact would be at the response scene -

IEC, in consultation with Member States, should consider

this feedback when reviewing the content of the AAP

template.

IAEA

Objectives of ConvEx exercises ConvEx-2c: radiological emergency

• Objective: To test arrangements for a transnational

radiological emergency.

• Exercise:

1. The IEC invites the NCA(D) of an IAEA Member State to participate as

‘the Accident State’. The IEC invites NCA(A)s of other States to

participate and to coordinate the participation of NWPs

2. The IEC forwards messages from the Accident State to participating

contact points, and publishes the submitted information on USIE

(conducted once every two years, and lasts up to 8 hours)

It is expected that participating NCAs access information on USIE, confirm

they have read and understood messages, and respond appropriately to

any requests for advice or information.

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IAEA

Comments on the 2c, 2015

• 15 Dec 2015 – a true world scale scenario

• We are grateful to the National Commission for Nuclear Safety

and Safeguards (CNSNS) for hosting the scenario of this

ConvEx-2c exercise

• Member States are encouraged to include the

communication/coordination with embassies/nationals in other

countries. Coordination with authorities in the Accident State

(where the embassies/nationals are located) is also expected

• Member States are encouraged to prioritise their requests for

assistance

IAEA

Comments on the 2c, 2015

• Acknowledgement of messages should be timely;

response actions should follow timely

• Actual USIE website used in exercise – training issue,

quality assurance issue

IAEA

Objectives of ConvEx exercises ConvEx-2d: nuclear emergency

• Objective: To test arrangements for a transnational nuclear

emergency.

• Exercise: Approach same as in ConvEx-2c

• (Conducted once every two years, and lasts up to 8 hours)

• This exercise will be conducted jointly with relevant

international organizations e.g., WMO, WHO, FAO

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IAEA

Comments on the 2d, 2012 – 2015

• 25 November 2014

• We are grateful to Bulgarian Nuclear Regulatory Agency

(BNRA) for hosting the scenario of this ConvEx-2d exercise

• Acknowledgment of messages on USIE took place with the

majority of the messages being acknowledged within 30

minutes of posting, at a rate of 61%, 66%, 79%, and 76% for

EMERCON-GENF 1 through 4 respectively - need for

immediate acknowledgement to be better emphasized in the

IEComm

• The offers for assistance should include more details – all

aspects

IAEA

Comments on the 2d (cont.)

• Monitoring results – polar or WGS84 coordinates?

• Use of ENF submissions related to an ongoing event should be

discouraged

• Simulated versus real weather – need for better players guides

• An exercise message was mistakenly sent out by IEC to all

24/7, NCA-A and NCA-D during the exercise - IEC will

implement stronger measures (such as increase controller

supervision) to ensure emergency communication channels for

non-playing contact points are not inadvertently activated

IAEA

Objectives of ConvEx exercises ConvEx-2e: assessment and prognosis

• Objective: To test the IAEA’s assessment and prognosis

process [new in 2014 – not in EPR-IEComm 2012]

• Exercise: • Conducted at the request of a Member State

• The scope of the IEC play is agreed in advanced

• interact through emergency communication channels;

• request additional technical information as required;

• share the IAEA’s assessment and prognosis of the situation, when relevant;

• work with counterparts to produce harmonized messages for other Member

States, IOs, the media and the public

• Provides an opportunity to practice interacting with the IAEA to produce

harmonized assessment and prognosis messages

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IAEA

Comments on the 2e, 2012 – 2015

• May 2014, Canada; November 2014, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, United

States and Finland; September 2015, Switzerland; November 2015,

Canada and France; March 2015, INEX5 (Slovenia, Austria, Croatia and

Italy)

• We are grateful for all countries that have invited us to play in their National

level exercises

• IAEA can successfully develop and harmonize its assessment and

prognosis with the support of the accident state in a relatively short period

of time (<2 hours) – effort/resources/shared tools and procedures

• Excellent feedback supporting the IAEA’s unique tools that are in

development, such as the Reactor Assessment Tool - initial output may

require minor corrections, final output after review from the ‘Accident State’

was always correct

IAEA

Comments on the 2e, 2012 – 2015

• Having technical teams from our counterparts and the IEC in direct contact

early in an emergency can quickly resolve any misunderstanding

• We have seen that the messages to the public which contain simple

assessment statements from the IAEA are well received

• Review of IAEA material prior to release has taken more than 90 minutes

from our counterparts during a few exercises - we encourage our

counterparts to consider and plan for receiving for comment IAEA status

summary reports and IAEA press releases with assessment and prognosis

statements

• Member States are encouraged to continue to consider inviting the IAEA to

participate in their exercises to practice the assessment and prognosis

process - Member States gain an enhanced understanding of the process

and the benefits of the outputs

IAEA

Adding other specific ConvEx exercises

• ConvEx-2f ; public communications matters

• ConvEx-2g ; nuclear security elements

• Technical Meeting on Information Exchange during Nuclear

or Radiological Incidents and Emergencies recommended

IAEA introduce such exercises

Your opinions?

IAEA

For questions or comments contact:

g.winkler@iaea.org, f.baciu@iaea.org