ELMWOOD – Emergency service workers gathered at Elmwood High School July 23 to go through training on what would happen in case of an emergency at the Prairie Island Nuclear Power Plant.

The exercise was last completed in 2024, bringing in local firefighters and EMS, public health, human services, the American Red Cross and the Healthcare Emergency Readiness Coalition. Volunteers act as civilians checking into a reception center after an emergency, going through checks of their vehicles, clothing and themselves for contamination prior to being checked into a holding facility.

“It is incredibly important that our responders are standing ready for all things that potentially could happen,” Pierce County Emergency Management Director Brad Jorgenson said. “We, as Pierce County, being a rift county, having a nuclear power plant within 10 miles of our county, requires us to make sure that we can efficiently and also very smoothly assemble a team should we need to set up a reception center.”

Jorgenson said getting trained is vital for the emergency service workers to be ready for situations that may not be their day-to-day experience.

“When our responders can do hands-on training, it’s training that will generally last with them. It allows them not only to build rapport with their counterparts, but at the same time it allows them to better understand the why and be able to see it through the full motion,” Jorgenson said.

In an emergency like this example, there may be some public confusion. That is why Jorgenson said the focus is effectively relaying information to the workers who can then deliver clear messaging to civilians. While the training is specifically designed for a power plant emergency, Jorgenson said it really helps get down the collaboration necessary for any widespread emergency.

“It is incredibly important. We want to make sure that everyone has the right information and they’re knowing the source of where to receive that information,” Jorgenson said. “The message has got to be clear and concise. Anything we can do to make sure that everyone stands ready is paramount to Pierce County’s core… A lot of people think that a nuclear power plant is a big scary thing. When we think down to accidents and things that have happened in the past, it’s one of the things that we are so prepared, and we do our best to be so prepared for that it makes us so much stronger in so many different avenues.”

Jorgenson took the time to thank everyone who helped put on this year’s training.
“Kudos to everybody that helped us put the exercise on. It’s always a valuable learning experience,” Jorgenson said. “It really allows us to continually improve our plan and to find any weak spots and make sure it stands ready should we ever have to put it to use.”