According to the Nuclear Energy Institute, U.S. nuclear energy facilities are held to the highest of standards by independent Nuclear Regulatory Commission inspectors, who conduct ongoing oversight at each reactor every day.

 

But despite all the safety requirements and regulations, there are still misconceptions about how safe nuclear power is.

 

That’s one of the reasons educating the public about nuclear energy is important, and officials at the Monticello Nuclear Generating Plant are making sure the public has ample opportunities to learn more about facility.

 

Throughout the year, tours of the facility are given to schools, scout troops, science clubs and many other organizations.

 

“We do this a lot,” says Jason Stone, senior operations instructor at the power plant. “We try to support these type of tours as often as we can.”

 

Earlier this month, the Monticello Nuclear Power Plant Training Center hosted a tour for scouts as part of the 2014 Scout Spring Energy Camporee. 

 

Scouts met with instructors and operators, learned about nuclear energy and even got some hands-on experience in the control room simulator.

 

Stone opened the program with an introduction about how being a scout guided him toward a career in nuclear energy.

 

“I was sitting in a chair like you, wearing  the same uniform,” he said. “A lot of the stuff I did as a scout, a lot of the experiences I had, played into my grown-up life.”

 

He said many of the activities he did and many of the merit badges he achieved as a scout are still a part of his life.

 

He earned a merit badge for shooting rifles and pistols and is now an NRA certified pistol instructor.

 

He got his radio merit badge and is now a certified ham radio operator. 

 

One of his favorites was the aviation merit badge. Today, he’s also a pilot.

 

“Every one of those things I did as a scout, I still do at some level, especially nuclear science,” he told the scouts. “I learned about nuclear science as a scout, went to high school and took chemistry and physics.” 

 

He later served in the Navy for 20 years and was a nuclear power plant operator on submarines.

 

“Now I’m an operations instructor,” he said. “I train operators how to operate a power plant. So you will be surprised how these things play into your adult life later on.” 

 

Zack Robinson from the training leadership team followed Stone and talked about how scouting builds character.

 

“It builds the kind of person that, particularly in this industry, we’re looking for. He said he read the scout law and the first attribute says  a scout is trustworthy.

“Gentleman, this is nuclear power. There is zero margin for error. If I can’t trust you, I don’t need you.”

 

Robinson said he gets hundreds of applications from people looking to work in nuclear energy. When he looks at resumes, one thing he looks for is a background in scouting, especially someone who was committed enough to become an Eagle Scout. 

“That shows leadership,” he said. “I see someone who is self-reliant, capable and driven. That’s what this industry needs.”

 

After the introduction, the scouts had a chance to see demonstrations of radiation measuring equipment, participate in discussions about radiation in  everyday living, and gain some knowledge about the steps the nuclear power plant takes to ensure the health and safety of the public.

 

Then they all put on anti-contamination clothing some workers wear in the plant during maintenance activities. Instructor Jonathan Kalb showed them the proper way to strip down the suits and check for radiation using a monitor.

 

Then came the highlight of the tour - the control room simulator, which is an exact duplicate of the actual power plant control room. The scouts sat at the controls and were presented with an interactive scenario where several of them had to respond to an emergency event and experience alarm conditions.

 

“It’s similar to the Fukushima event where there was an earthquake followed by the tidal wave that knocked out all their outside electrical sources,” said Stone. “This is what it might have looked like in the control room.”

 

Stone showed them what to look for on the control panels, how to communicate with operators in the room and how to monitor the control rods so the radioactive core is always covered with water.

 

Then he programmed the simulator to mimic an emergency, sound the alarm and let the scouts take over.

 

They did well, said Stone. Most of the switches were in the correct position when the scouts were done.

 

But almost isn’t good enough when it comes to nuclear power, said Stone. He explained that control room operators keep training even after years of experience.

 

Each operator works at the plant for six weeks at a time, then goes back to the simulator for a week of training to show they know their stuff.

 

Ron Newberry, who does continuing training with operators, said they never stop learning in nuclear power.

 

“There’s always something new to learn. There’s always something changing,” he said. “We want these guys to always know what to do when something’s wrong and how their equipment works.

 

“We want to make sure these guys know what they’re doing so that the folks in the community can sleep at night knowing that we’ve got highly qualified, highly trained professionals at the controls providing us with clean, reliable electrical power.”