McMaster University will test its response to an on-campus radiological incident during a planned exercise on Wednesday, Oct. 9, beginning at 8:30 a.m.

Emergency response vehicles and personnel will be on campus from about 7 a.m., but this is a test and will have no impact on the community.

The exercise, in collaboration with city emergency services, will involve an accident scenario in the McMaster Nuclear Reactor (MNR).

Setup for the exercise will start around 7 a.m., when emergency response vehicles and personnel may be seen on campus. The exercise will run from 8:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m.

Fencing will be set up around the Nuclear Research Building and the reactor, and access to this area will be very limited.

The exercise is meant to drill staff from Health Physics and Nuclear Operations & Facilities, the university’s Crisis Management team, McMaster Security Services, the Hamilton Fire Department, the Hamilton Paramedic Service and Hamilton Police Service.

The MNR emergency plan has never been implemented in response to an actual emergency.

Such an incident is highly unlikely to occur, but it’s important to bring these organizations together to ensure there’s a mutual understanding of roles and responsibilities during an emergency, says Josip Zic, director of Health Physics.

“McMaster has a long tradition of excellence in nuclear safety,” Zic says, noting that the MNR and the university’s nuclear research laboratories have safely served researchers, the medical community, students and industry for more than 65 years.

“It’s our responsibility to develop and maintain our emergency response capabilities in collaboration with our community partners to ensure the continued safety of all those who visit, work and study in and around our nuclear facilities.”

Exercises like this one are held frequently.

As a direct result of the university’s nuclear safety record, the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission granted the MNR a 20-year operating licence  in 2024, a historic milestone for Canada’s most powerful nuclear research reactor.

MNR provides services to industry and researchers in Canada and around the world, in addition to unique educational experiences for university and high school students. It also produces medical isotopes used to treat over 70,000 cancer patients each year.

The Nuclear Research Building, with its High-Level Laboratory Facility, houses researchers from the university, AtomVie Global Radiopharma and the Centre for Probe Development and Commercialization, who perform cutting-edge medical isotope research and production of novel imaging and therapy agents for clinical trials.