Breaking: Pantex, (Nuclear Plant), on Lockdown

AMARILLO, TEXAS -- A spokesman for the National Nuclear Security Administration says Pantex is responding to concern reported by an employee.

Plant management is in control if the situation and is monitoring the response, according to Damien Lavera.

Pantex activated its Emergency Response Organization after an event at 8:00am Friday morning.

The plant remains in a lockdown status while the potential security situation is investigated.

NNSA officials say they expect the situation to be resolved quickly.

Employees are currently sheltered-in-place, but officials say they hope to have them return to the building soon.

www.connectamarillo.com...

Not much new other than stating they were responding to an employee concern.

Originally posted by SyphonX
or a patriotic Texan saw a Muslim.

Man this thread is making me smile... lol... First the "Armed hunters" theory, then the patriotic Texan seeing a Muslim... HAHAHAHA

On topic though, I don't believe that we will be told anything considering that this is a nuclear weapons facility... If it's not policy to tell the population they are in danger in severe accidents (IE 3 mile Island incident), they won't tell us anything about something like this...

At least they won't ever tell the truth...

Magnum

if its in lockdown surely information wouldnt be getting out yet, also, i doubt in the event of an emergency the plant would need to dial 911, it would be a different system as to not alarm the greater public.

Let's wait until we get the full story before we start our paranoia!!

reply to post by getreadyalready


Fantastic site - I love it - cant believe I have never come across it before!

Originally posted by Champagne
Why, pray tell, would armed hunters cause a lock down???

Because it is procedure within a certain radius of the facility.

How else to hunters appear - if not ARMED?? I do not believe it!! Like this is the first in the history of man that armed hunters have hunted around this plant??

You are correct, hunters ARE armed BUT they normally do not go close to a nuclear disassembly plant, now do they? This is procedure to activity the ERO.

Originally posted by Magnum007
BAHAHAHAHA!!! If it is because of armed hunters, man this is so funny!!! Can you spell P-A-R-N-O-I-A??? LOL...

Would you prefer that they take a more passive approach and just wait until unknown armed men/women actually breach the plant?

I've lived here 13 yrs and never heard of a lock down at Pantex from the news media.

Originally posted by SyphonX
The fact that there is a nuclear weapons facility, in plain sight and vulnerable apparently, in the "heartland" of America as if it were some automotive plant... is just sad. A plant spoken of as if it were some corporate industry pillar of the community, and it's sole purpose is to add to the stockpiling of nuclear weapons and the deconstruction of old and useless weapons.

There are many nuclear weapons facilities in plain sight, but let me assure you that they are not "vulnerable". There are many passive, as well as active security systems employed at these plants that you will never know are there unless you were a part of the design of these systems.

These plants are a very big part of local economies because they employ real people and those real people buy things in their communities. It is a shame that the world, not just America, feels it necessary to maintain stockpiles of nuclear weapons but, in the world today, it is reality. Pantex DOES NOT build new nuclear weapons but they DO maintain the old ones.

I feel ashamed to be a citizen here.

Then you should feel ashamed to be a citizen of the world too.

reply to post by Iamonlyhuman


You need to validate a threat before activating emergency measures... It's just common sense.

Magnum

Originally posted by Magnum007
reply to post by Iamonlyhuman

 

You need to validate a threat before activating emergency measures... It's just common sense.

Magnum

The validation was the sighting of armed people within the radius. This activation was valid. I can assure you that implementing procedures always err on the side of conservatism. It it much easier, politically, to explain.

reply to post by Iamonlyhuman


Although I agree with your train of thought, there is a limit to the sensitivity to a threat.. I have to admit, I was not there, but if indeed the threat was a couple of hunters, then someone has no sense of judgment...

There is a HUGE difference between a hunter who is hunting and an armed person who means harm...

Magnum

Duck Hunters Trigger Pantex Lockdown, Official Says

www.businessweek.com...

Jan. 15 (Bloomberg) -- Duck hunters in camouflage triggered a security alert, resulting in a “lockdown” at the Pantex nuclear weapons plant in Texas.
“They had a report that there were some individuals armed and in camouflage,” in a field near the plant, said Gabe Medrano, a spokesman for the Texas Department of Public Safety. “They turned out to be duck hunters.”
The Pantex plant is managed and operated by McDermott International Inc.’s Babcock & Wilcox Co. unit, as part of a venture with Honeywell International Inc. and Bechtel National Inc., according to a regulatory filing. The Pantex plant, which repairs and disassembles nuclear warheads, sits on a 16,000-acre site near Amarillo, Texas, the filing said.
“The status of the facility is still currently in lockdown and employees are still sheltering in place,” said Damien LaVera, spokesman for the National Nuclear Security Administration, an arm of the Energy Department. “Plant security is in control of the situation.”
LaVera said he could not confirm reports that duck hunters triggered the lockdown. “We anticipate this will be resolved quickly.”

Given how sensitive we've become to any 'threat' in our country, I can understand the response (especially at a nuclear facility).

Originally posted by Magnum007
reply to post by Iamonlyhuman

Although I agree with your train of thought, there is a limit to the sensitivity to a threat.. I have to admit, I was not there, but if indeed the threat was a couple of hunters, then someone has no sense of judgment...

There is a HUGE difference between a hunter who is hunting and an armed person who means harm...

Magnum

So you think that they should wait to implement procedures so they can go and see the reason why armed people are in the perimeter of the facility? I agree there is a difference, although not a huge one, between a hunter and someone with mal-intent. However, I do not agree that the intent of the person should be established before they implement security procedures. That can all be ironed out after the safety of the people employed there and the facility have been secured.

One other thing, I promise you that, although these hunters may not have seen them, there are signs posted not very far apart, stating that they are entering federal property and that firearms are prohibited. I would not want to be these people right now.

Oh, and I wasn't there either but I am very familiar with other DOE/NSA sites around the country and I would expect that Pantex procedures are similar if not word for word.

[edit on 15/1/2010 by Iamonlyhuman]

It was on the news here in the UK earlier, it mentioned hunters were looking for ducks?

Originally posted by JacKatMtn
Would there be any scanner activity on this event?

Anyone remember where the online scanner deal is? Might be worth a check of the local freqs..

Hello,
www.morriszone.com... I don't know if this will be of any help...

I bet the sprinkler system is malfunctioning or something simple. That or some UFO's disarmed them all.

If this was anything really serious, surely they'd have more than a few "sherrif's officers" on site don't you think.

We'll see.

reply to post by x2Strongx


Listen here. If the news is reporting it, IT MUST BE VERY REAL.

duck hunters.... are you serious... how paranoid. TPTB have the commoners all up in a sh*tfit dont they. got that fear in them reeeeal good. *bahhhahahaha*

[edit on 15-1-2010 by TheCoffinman]