Planning Bases

DOE-HDBK-5504-95

The office submitting the plan should also provide copies of associated support documents and materials as

follows:

All materials identified in the appendices section of the Format and Content EMG;

namely, lists of acronyms and definitions; copies of all Memoranda of Agreement

(MOAs), Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs), and agreements with other

Federal agencies; maps; emergency management personnel list; and references.

A complete list of the implementing procedures.

A point of contact authorized to release other documents, including the

implementing procedures, upon request as needed for review.

Each office submitting an emergency plan should review and update the plan and its supporting procedures

annually. The annual update should address any issues raised by plan reviews and/or drill and exercise

evaluations received within the previous year.

This handbook summarizes the information and procedures that should appear in a DOE emergency response

plan in order to lay the groundwork for effective response in an emergency. Successful planning in turn

depends on establishing the proper foundation. The planning bases discussed below are not extensively

addressed in the planning guidance checklist, because they are external to the plan. However, they are

important prerequisites for developing a plan that will meet the guidance and prove effective in practice.

As stated in DOE Order 5500.3A, ". . . the extent of emergency planning and preparedness

required for a particular facility directly corresponds to the type and scope of hazards present

and the potential consequences of accidents or events." A hazards assessment seeks to

characterize those hazards and potential consequences, thereby establishing the technical basis

for emergency planning. To provide an adequate basis for planning, the hazards assessment

must address the full range of events that might lead to an operational emergency, including

both accidental and deliberate (e.g., safeguards and security incident) scenarios. Existing

safety and hazard analyses, such as those developed pursuant to DOE Orders 5480.23 and

5630.11 and SARA, should serve as a starting point for developing the facility hazards

assessment document. For further information and specifications regarding development of

hazards assessments, facility planners should consult DOE Order 5500.3A, Section 11.b, and

the Guidance for Hazards Assessment EMG issued by NN-60.