Reduce Manual Compensatory Fire Watch Costs Using Mobile Fire Watch Carts - MTA-FD-001, REV. 1

Administrative Items
Date	04/23/21
Functional Area Where Benefits Will Be Realized	Fire Department Maintenance
Reference Implementation Guidance	Cyber Security: Isolation for Maintenance, Monitoring, and Diagnostic Applications in Nuclear Power Facilities (EPRI 3002008206) Wireless Sensor Survey and General Specification (EPRI 3002011818)
Industry SME	EPRI - Ashley Lindeman Contact: NuclearPlantMod@epri.com
Previous Implementation	Please contact EPRI for implementation examples and contacts.
Implementation Enablers	N/A
SWEEP Score	Cost – Level 3 – Implementation of mobile fire watch carts is less than $1 million. Cost for a single cart is approximately $5,000-12,000 depending on the technology selected for the cart. A single unit will typically have five carts. Savings – Level 1 – Savings are less than $1 million per year per unit with approximately five fire watch carts per unit. Cost savings are expected to be between $150,000-500,000 depending on the number of fire watches required each year. However, during times of plant modification, such as a fire detection replacement project, the savings could be significantly higher. Payback – Level 3 – Payback is less than one year (inclusive) based on the ability to perform fire watches in a variety of areas with a reduction in manual labor hours. Technical Readiness – Level 3 – This technology is commercially available and is already in use at commercial nuclear sites. Licensing Readiness – Level 3 – This technology has already been implemented at nuclear power plants in accordance with NRC Generic Letter 86-10. No changes to the site license would be required to implement the technology. Implementation Proficiency – Level 3 – The fire watch cart does not require special digital engineering skills for design and installation using fiber optic cable. For full remote monitoring (wireless data transmission), implementation proficiency is dependent on site-specific experience related to wireless data infrastructure, wireless data transmission for maintenance and monitoring, and cyber-security protocols.
Applicability	All reactor types All geographic regions
Keywords	Fire watch; mobile cart; fire cart; camera; labor reduction
Business Case Analysis Cross-Reference	N/A

Description

A compensatory fire watch is a common measure in the nuclear industry put in place due to an impairment or out‑of‑service condition. Current procedures typically require a person to be physically present at the location to monitor for fires. Based on experience, a single fire watch is a full‑time equivalent (FTE) of 3.8 because it requires 24/7 surveillance. A fire‑watch cart provides a replacement solution for the compensatory hourly in‑person fire watch.

The cart includes cameras and sensors in one mobile unit to monitor and detect fires. The cart also includes circuitry for monitoring cart equipment health to notify personnel if there is a failure in a piece of technology. A fiber‑optic cable is used to connect the cart to the plant network for data transmission, however, the cart also has the potential to be a fully wireless unit. By replacing in‑person fire watches with these mobile fire‑watch carts, plants can see significant savings in labor hours, personnel dose, and plant safety. Note that the cart described in this MTA does not have the capability for extinguishing fires or being responsible for personnel safety, so it cannot be used to replace a hot work fire watch.

Benefits

Benefits Estimate

Level 1 – Savings are less than $1 million per year per unit with approximately five fire‑watch carts per unit. Cost savings are expected to be between $150,000‑500,000 depending on the number of fire watches required each year. However, during times of plant modification, such as a fire‑detection replacement project, the savings could be significantly higher.

Benefits Description

• Reduction in labor hours associated with in‑person fire watch.
• Reduction in personnel dose depending on the location of the fire watch.
• Increased personnel and equipment safety by reducing the number of people inside the plant.

Costs and Schedule

Cost

Level 3 – Implementation of mobile fire watch carts is less than $1 million. Cost for a single cart is approximately $5,000‑12,000 depending on the technology selected for the cart. A single unit will typically have five carts.

Schedule

Six months to one year. Schedule is dependent on the cybersecurity procedures and policies of the plant and the effort to approve the cart under these procedures and policies. Procurement of the fire‑watch cart takes approximately three months.

Scope Context

Per cart; cost estimates are driven by the types of sensors and cameras selected for the cart. Schedule estimate includes design and procurement of the cart, updating plant procedures and policies, training, and implementation of the cart.

Risks

Cybersecurity: If the system is not properly segmented and implemented, potential cybersecurity deficiencies may increase vulnerability to threats. Following the cybersecurity guidance in the available reference implementation guidance will mitigate this risk. Based on plant experience, evaluation for cybersecurity and resolution of concerns can increase the schedule for deployment to greater than one year.