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Nine Mile nuclear plant passes federal emergency drill

Federal officials gave Oswego County's nuclear power complex a good grade after an emergency preparedness drill conducted this week.

Plant workers and emergency officials had to respond to a simulated equipment malfunction and radiation leak, where the wind then shifted.

"They have to react and they have to react quickly and that’s one of the things we’re looking for; to make sure that they understand what the change means, what it implies, and what to do about it," says FEMA's Rebecca Thomson.

Thomson says the test, conducted Wednesday, was a success and Nine Mile's emergency facilities are excellent. Emergency officials held a public briefing on the drill Friday.

The drill was the first for new Oswego County emergency management director Dale Currier. He started on the job five weeks ago.

"Emergency management is always a very dynamic type of activity," says Currier. "The planning is never done because there are new things that change in the community; new people change."

Nine Mile comprises of two nuclear generation facilities in Scriba, N.Y. The federal tests are conducted every two years, but local officials conduct drills on an annual basis.