Staff at the Cook nuclear power plant took part in an emergency drill on Tuesday, simulating a hostile attack on the facility.

Plant spokesperson Bill Downey tells us they do these drills each quarter, sometimes with partners from Berrien County Emergency Management, and sometimes with partners from the state. Downey says employees at Cook all have secondary roles to assume in the event of an emergency, and during the drills, they know just what to do.

“The teams are prepared to go out and do these scenarios because we know the drills are coming, but we don’t know what the scenario is necessarily,” Downey said. “So we get the call out and we assemble at our facilities and we activate our facilities and we take actions based on whatever the scenario is.”

The hostile action drill on Tuesday prepared staff for events like terrorist attacks. Downey says such exercises are part of Cook’s job to protect the community.

“With the kind of drilling that we do and the kind of partnerships we have and the high level of participation, we’re a pretty safe county. We know what’s happening, whether it’s weather-related events or whether it’s a nuclear event, whether it’s hostile action. Because of these drills and because of the procedures that we run, it’s pretty safe to say that we’re ready.”

Downey says during emergency drills, his job as a plant spokesperson is to take on a media role, informing the public. So, he would head over to the Cook emergency center in Buchanan and set up a media area.

Downey says Cook is required to stage such events on a regular basis, and it takes them seriously.