OAK RIDGE, Tenn. — Governor Bill Lee attended a groundbreaking ceremony at a new facility in Oak Ridge that will help train people in nuclear security.
The new Enhanced Technology and Training Center will focus on training first responders so that they understand how to respond to nuclear incidents, according to Gov. Lee. The center is located at Y-12's integrated security complex and is meant to become the training destination for people interested in nuclear security, testing and emergency response.
"Nuclear energy is of increasing importance in this country," Lee said. "The complexity of nuclear security and nonproliferation is increasingly important in this country. So having first responders who understand the complexities of nuclear incidents is increasingly important as well, and that's what this center is."
The center will feature a simulated nuclear and radiological activities facility, where people can practice handling nuclear activities in a simulation before doing it for real. It will also have an enhanced emergency response facility.
"It's the only one of its kind that will train people in nuclear security in a way that needs to be done," Lee said. "It's one more example of how Tennessee leads the country."