The Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant Fire of 1975 and the History of NRC Fire Regulations: DVD (NUREG/BR-0361, Supplement 1)

On this page:

• Publication Information
• Abstract
• Table of Contents
• Introduction
• Historical Documents
• Questions and Answers

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission issued Supplement 1 to NUREG/BR-0361 as a DVD, which accompanied the printed brochure. You may Contact Us to obtain a complete copy of this set. Alternatively, you may view or download many of the component files through the Table of Contents, below. However, please note that the related Microsoft Windows Media audio/video files (identified as WMV, below) are not currently available for download.

Publication Information

Date Published: January 2009

Prepared by:
David Stroup,
Jessica Kratchman,
Felix E. Gonzalez,
Mark Henry Salley

Fire Research Branch
Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission

Abstract

This DVD is a collection of regulatory and industry documents issued before and after the Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant (BFN) Fire of 1975, intended to capture the history of regulations in the nuclear industry and, specifically, in the fire protection area. The documents in this DVD are organized by category and chronologically listed to facilitate reading. The DVD includes only those documents that were affected by the regulatory implications caused by the BFN fire. The documents included in this DVD also reflect fire protection regulations and studies of about a decade after the fire, and do not discuss current fire protection regulations or studies performed after the 1990s. The timeline presented in the introduction summarize the events critical to fire protection regulation in U.S. nuclear power plants (NPPs) from 1971 through 1981.

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• Historical Documents

This page includes links to files in non-HTML format. See Plugins, Viewers, and Other Tools for more information.

Introduction

Category	Title	File Type and Size
Multimedia	Multimedia Introduction to the BFN Fire of 1975 and the History of NRC Fire Regulations, by Brian Sheron (RES Director) and MarkHenry Salley (FRB Chief)	Broadband - 150 KB
Document	Excerpt from the Printed Brochure (pages 1–4)	HTML

Historical Documents

Category	Title	File Type and Size
Current versions of 10 CFR 50.48 and Appendix R	Current version of 10 CFR 50.48	PDF - 19 KB
	Current version of Appendix R	PDF - 57 KB
History of Changes to 10 CFR 50.48 and Appendix R	History of Changes to 10 CFR 50.48	PDF - 1.16 MB
	History of Changes to Appendix R	PDF - 1.71 MB
Federal Register Notices Regarding 10 CFR 50.48 and Appendix R	45 FR 36082	PDF - 1.49 MB
	45 FR 71569	PDF - 200 KB
	45 FR 76602	PDF - 2.32 MB
	45 FR 79409	PDF - 130 KB
	46 FR 44734	PDF - 321 KB
	53 FR 19240	PDF - 3.69 MB
	61 FR 39278	PDF - 3.98 MB
	65 FR 38182	PDF - 1.48 MB
	69 FR 33536	PDF - 2.32 MB
	72 FR 49352	PDF - 21.8 MB
Commission (SECY) Papers and Speeches	SECY 82-342, "Connecticut Light and Power Company, et al., vs. NRC"	PDF - 541 KB
	Speech S-98-12, "Thermal Barriers and Regulatory Frameworks: The U.S. Experience on Fire Protection," by Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson, NRC Chairman, at "Fire Safety '98," Mumbai, India (April 15, 1998)	PDF - 110 KB
Court and Congressional Documents (Legal Challenges)	Congressional Hearings on Browns Ferry Nuclear Power Plant:
	Part 1	PDF - 25.9 MB
	Part 2	PDF - 20.6 MB
	Connecticut Light and Power Petition vs. U.S. NRC	PDF - 2.93 MB
	Court of Appeals Decision on Fire Protection Rule	PDF - 347 KB
Regulatory Guides and NUREG-Series Technical Reports by NRC Staff	Regulatory Guide 1.75, "Physical Independence of Electrical Systems," Rev. 2	PDF - 369 KB
	NUREG-0050, "Recommendations Related to Browns Ferry Fire"	HTML
	NUREG-0061, "Safety Evaluation Report Related to the Operation of Browns Ferry, Units 1 and 2, Following the March 22, 1975 Fire"	HTML
	NUREG-75/087, "Standard Review Plan for the Review of Safety Analysis Reports for Nuclear Power Plants": SRP 9.5.1, "Fire Protection Program," Rev. 1	PDF - 4.65 MB
	Branch Technical Position ASB 9.5-1, "Guidelines for Fire Protection in Nuclear Power Plants. Rev. 1	PDF - 1.85 MB
	Branch Technical Position APCSB 9.5-1, "Guidelines for Fire Protection in Nuclear Power Plants," Rev. 1	PDF - 1.97 MB
	Regulatory Guide 1.120, "Fire Protection Guidelines for Nuclear Power Plants," Rev. 1	PDF - 1.95 MB
	Notice of Withdrawal of Regulatory Guide 1.120	PDF - 65 KB
	IEEE Comments on Regulatory Guide 1.120, Rev. 1	PDF - 4.26 MB
	NUREG/CR-6042, "Perspectives on Reactor Safety"	HTML
	NUREG-1552, "Fire Barrier Penetration Seals in Nuclear Power Plants"	HTML
	Supplement 1 to NUREG-1552	HTML
	NUREG/CR-6738, "Risk Methods Insights Gained From Fire Incidents"	HTML
Non-NRC Reports on BFN	BFN Unit 1 and 2, Approximate Temperature Zones Derived from a Review of Physical Evidence Produced by the March 22, 1975 Fire (prepared by Tennessee Valley Authority)	PDF - 15.7 MB
	BFN Fire Final Report of Preliminary Investigating Committee (prepared by Tennessee Valley Authority)	PDF - 6.03 MB
Journal Articles by the Society of Fire Protection Engineers (SFPE)	SFPE Technology Report: The Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant Fire	PDF - 19.4 MB
	SFPE Journal: Quantifying Losses Due to Fire — Remembering the Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant Fire	PDF - 20 KB
Video and Photographs of BFN and Seal Penetration Fire Tests	Photographs from Browns Ferry Nuclear Power Plant Fire	PDF - 7.76 MB
	Photographs from Seal Penetration Fire Tests following the Browns Ferry Fire	PDF - 18.4 MB
	Video from Seal Penetration Fire Tests 1 & 2 following the Browns Ferry Fire (35 min)	Broadband - 150 KB
Seminar on the BFN Fire sponsored by the NRC's Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research (RES) (Invited speakers David Notley and Robert Ferguson, engineers who worked with NRC during the BFN Fire)	Appendix R Presentation (Transcript), by David Notley	PDF - 1.11 MB
	Appendix R Presentation (Video), by David Notley (20 min)	Broadband - 150 KB
	RES/FRB BFN Fire Seminar Video (Part 1 of 3), presentation by Jim Lyons and MarkHenry Salley (21 min)	Broadband - 150 KB
	RES/FRB BFN Fire Seminar Video (Part 2 of 3), presentation by David Notley (35 min)	Broadband - 150 KB
	RES/FRB BFN Fire Seminar Video (Part 3 of 3), presentation by David Notley, Robert Ferguson, and MarkHenry Salley (35 min)	Broadband - 150 KB
NRC Technical Training Center (TTC) Interviews with Jack Lewis (former TTC Instructor)	Introductory Perspectives on Regulation before the BFN Fire, presented by Jack Lewis (13 min); this video is only available on the DVD distributed with the printed brochure; please Contact Us to obtain a copy	WMV - 17.8 MB
	The BFN Fire Event, presented by Jack Lewis (45 min); this video is only available on the DVD distributed with the printed brochure; please Contact Us to obtain a copy	WMV - 62.4 MB
	Lessons Learned, presented by Jack Lewis (19 min); this video is only available on the DVD distributed with the printed brochure; please Contact Us to obtain a copy	WMV - 27.7 MB
Presentations about the BFN Fire	Browns Ferry Fire Heritage Discussion by Region II on the 30th Anniversary of the BFN Fire (2005)	PDF - 2.32 MB
NRC Bulletins Related to the BFN Fire	BL-75-04, "Cable Fire at Browns Ferry Nuclear Power Station," March 24, 1975	HTML
	BL-75-04a, "Cable Fire at Browns Ferry Nuclear Power Station," April 3, 1975	HTML
	BL-75-04b, "Cable Fire at Browns Ferry Nuclear Power Station," November 3, 1975	HTML
Amendments to the BFN License	BFN Amendments 24 and 27	PDF - 430 KB
	BFN Amendments 54 and 59	PDF - 3.57 MB
	BFN Revised Order for License Modification	PDF - 306 KB
Commission Meeting Transcripts Regarding the BFN Fire	Letter from NRC Chairman Hendrie to Congressman Pepper, September 15, 1978	PDF - 943 KB
	Discussion and Vote on Fire Protection Program: Meeting 1, October 16, 1980	PDF - 4.05 MB
	Discussion and Vote on Fire Protection Program: Meeting 2, October 21, 1980	PDF - 2.49 MB
	Discussion and Vote on Fire Protection Program: Meeting 3, October 27, 1980	PDF - 5.31 MB
	Briefing on Fire Protection Rule Schedules and Exemptions, January 12, 1982	PDF - 3.91 MB
	Discussion on Appendix R: Fire Protection, May 30, 1984	PDF - 4.96 MB
	Status of Interpretation of Appendix R: Fire Protection, October 3, 1985	PDF - 2.56 MB

Questions and Answers

This DVD provides a compilation of information to gain perspective about the BFN fire of 1975. Document types each serve a different purpose and answer a different question. Combined, these sources create a well-rounded picture of the event for varied types and levels of users. Individually, they paint a detailed picture of certain aspects of the event. The following table asks some questions related to the BFN fire and provides examples of where the user should go in the DVD to find the answers.

Question	Where to go in the DVD1
What happened in the BFN fire and what did we learn?	Non-NRC Reports on BFN
	Journal Articles by the SFPE
	Regulatory Guides and NUREG-Series Technical Reports by NRC Staff
	Commission Meeting Transcripts
How is this information reported to the public?	Journal Articles by the SFPE
	Regulatory Guides and NUREG-Series Technical Reports by NRC Staff
How did NRC communicate what actions needed to be taken after this event?	Regulatory Guides and NUREG-Series Technical Reports by NRC Staff
	NRC Bulletins, Amendments, and Commission Meeting Transcripts
What were the rules and regulations before the BFN fire and how has this fire changed them?	Current versions of 10 CFR 50.48 and Appendix R
	History of Changes to 10 CFR 50.48 and Appendix R
	Federal Register Notices Regarding 10 CFR 50.48 and Appendix R
	Amendments to the BFN License
How does NRC staff inform the Commission of policy and rulemaking matters?	SECY Documents
How does the court uphold or challenge rules set forth by NRC?	Court and Congressional Documents (Legal Challenges)
How does Congress obtain information, conduct investigations, or oversee NRC?	Court and Congressional Documents
What do the experts think, and what does a fire like this look like?	Video and Photographs of BFN and Seal Penetration Fire Tests
	Seminar on the BFN Fire
	NRC TTC Interviews with Jack Lewis
	Presentations about the BFN Fire
1 See the Table of Contents, above.