RESPONDING TO A RADIOACTIVE WMD ATTACK

1. RESPONDING TO ARADIOACTIVE WMD ATTACK HELPING FIRST RESPONDERS HELP THEMSELVES

2. GOALS • Protect responders – short term and long term • Decontamination • Rescue injured • Protect public from further exposures • Protect property and economy • Know who to call for help

3. Expect Chaos • Large RDD or nuclear device will likely cause mass casualties • Terror • Potential for large areas and lots of people to be contaminated • Even people not affected will believe they have been

4. Example – Goiania Brazil • People found damaged Cs-137 source • Didn’t know it was radioactive • Used cesium as face make-up • Four died; less than 100 contaminated • Had to survey over 100,000 to prove they weren’t contaminated.

5. EXAMPLE OF ECONOMIC IMPACT • April 1986 – Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant exploded sending millions of curies of various radionuclides high into the air. • Predominate isotope emitted was iodine 131- a beta/gamma emitter with an 8 day half life. • Plume reached Washington state within three days. • Contamination levels did not exceed any action levels that would require protective actions with food products or people.

6. EXAMPLE OF ECONOMIC IMPACT • Because iodine concentrates in milk, milk sales dropped dramatically. • Oregon yielded to public pressure and recommended people NOT drink milk. • Few crops ready for harvest, yet agriculture suffered for the whole year. • For many years after, several foreign governments required Washington to certify its crops free of radioactive contamination, even though iodine 131 had an 8-day half life.

7. TERRORISM ATTACK WITH A WMD WHO IS IN CHARGE OF WHAT?

8. Terrorist Attack – Who is in charge? • FBI – CRISIS MANAGEMENT (WMD terrorism is federal crime) • State and Local Government – CONSEQUENCE MANAGEMENT (Constitution does not assign certain powers to federal government. Public health, welfare and safety rests with local and state government.)

9. Consequence Management • Washington Department of Health is state Radiation Control Agency • Washington Military Department is Emergency Planning and Coordination Agency • Local Government makes decisions based on state agency recommendations unless event transcends multiple jurisdictions.

10. FEDERAL ASSISTANCE

11. FEDERAL RADIOLOGICAL EMERGENCY RESPONSE PLAN • Defines authorities for responding to real emergencies • Defines roles of each agency • Covers peacetime emergencies • Onsite lead for federal site • Assists states in non-federal sites and offsite responses

12. FOR WMDs Federal Radiological Emergency Response Plan Being replaced by National Response Plan (NRP) by Department of Homeland Security

13. Agriculture Commerce Defense Energy HHS Interior Justice State Transportation EPA FEMA GSA NASA NRC HUD Homeland security Agencies in FRERP

14. LEAD AGENCY IN FRERP • Fixed nuclear facility – NRC • Federal Site – DOE or DOD • Non-Federal Site – EPA • Downed satellite with rad materials – NASA • Transportation – NRC, DOE, or DOD • Material from foreign source – EPA • Terrorism - FBI

15. National Response Plan • Homeland Security Presidential Directive 5 (HSPD-5) • “To prevent, prepare for, respond to, and recover from terrorist attacks, major disasters, and other emergencies shall establish a single … approach to domestic incident management.” • Department of Homeland Security

16. Federal Radiological Monitoring and Assessment • DOE initially responsible. • EPA has responsibility in longer term. • Requested by state or local jurisdictions or by other federal agencies • May also be requested by industries and public

17. Federal Radiological Monitoring and Assistance • Radiological Assistance Program (RAP) • Provides trained personnel, equipment, monitoring assistance • Act on behalf of state on state’s request • May be first responder; usually respond within 4-6 hours • Help advise on actions to minimize hazards

18. Federal Radiological Monitoring and Assistance • National Atmospheric Release Advisory Capability (NARAC) • Real Time 3-D plume modeling • Can respond within 1 hour • Aerial Monitoring System (AMS) • Helicopter and/or airplane with sensitive radiation detectors flies specific patterns to define plume passage • 8-12 hour response time

19. Federal Radiological Monitoring and Assistance • Nuclear Emergency Support Team (NEST) • Search and ID of Nuclear Materials • Assessment of suspected nuclear devices • Support render safe operations • Support safe packaging for transport

20. Federal Radiological Monitoring and Assistance • Radiation Emergency Assistance Center/Training Site (REAC/TS) • On call 24 hours/day • Primarily medical support • Conducts medical and radiological triage, decontamination and decon therapy • Estimates doses

21. Protecting the Responders

22. NCRP 138 “NCRP recommends that emergency personnel or response vehicles responding to a scene for which there has been some indication that the area may be contaminated with radioactive materials, including the site of any explosion, should be equipped with radiation detection equipment that would alert the responders that they are entering a radiologically compromised environment.”

23. NCRP 138 • Responders need to be trained in instrument capabilities. • Instruments should be turned on and monitored when approaching scene.

24. RESPONDING • Approach from upwind if possible • If in doubt, assume contamination • Avoid contact with contamination, if possible • Wear protective clothing that can be removed • Use full respiratory gear if fire, smoke, fumes, gases, or windblown dusts present • Assume everything in proximity to scene is contaminated until proven otherwise. • Don’t eat, drink or smoke in contamination areas

25. RESPONDING • If radiation detected and there are no rescues: • Stay away from contamination area • Stay upwind • Establish barriers all around the scene • Practice ALARA • Call (206) NUCLEAR • Bob Clark

26. ALARA – As Low As Reasonably Achievable • TIME • DISTANCE • SHIELDING

27. Nuclear weapon • Communications may not work due to electromagnetic damage • Rescue injured only • Establish at least 2500 foot exclusion zone around weapon (or more) • Help evacuate public who may be inside exclusion zone

28. RESPONDERS • Should be given dosimeters • Keep contaminated people separate from non-contaminated people to avoid cross contamination. • If high radiation areas identified and you can’t get far enough away and still manage the scene, put up shielding between you and source. (Fire Trucks work well as shields)

29. Treating the contaminated injured NCRP 138 Management of Terrorist Events Involving radioactive Material ‘It must be noted emphatically that radioactive contamination is never immediately life threatening and therefore, a radiological assessment or decontamination should never take precedence over significant medical conditions.”

30. ESTABLISH A CONTROL ZONE

31. CONTROL ZONE < 2 MR/HR CONTAMINATION HOT ZONE WIND WARM ZONE COLD ZONE SURVEY CHECKPOINT IC OUTER CONTROL LINE BUFFER BETWEEN CONTAMINATION AND CLEAN AREA IC

32. ESTABLISHING A CONTROL ZONE • Mark area with rope or tape • Limit entry to essential personnel • Evacuate non-essential personnel and public from area • Assume all are contaminated • Have them surveyed when possible. • Keep vehicles out in cold zone

35. DEALING WITH TERROR • It will happen. • People have an unnatural fear of radiation. • They will want to be surveyed • They may flood hospitals, IC or any other official site. • Help direct them to people who can survey them. It should NOT be you.

36. WHO WILL ARRIVE TO HELP • ADDITIONAL HAZMAT TEAMS • DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH • NATIONAL GUARD 10TH CIVIL SUPPORT TEAM • FEDERAL ASSETS (LOTS)

37. Mobile Field Response Unit Radiological Monitoring and Assessment Center (RMAC)

38. WHAT CAN/WILL WE DO • CHARACTERIZE EXTENT OF CONTAMINATION • IDENTIFY ISOTOPES • SURVEY FIRST RESPONDERS AND PUBLIC • DEVELOP RECOMMENDATIONS FOR PROTECTIVE ACTIONS • REQUEST APPROPRIATE ASSISTANCE • PROVIDE SUPPORT AS NEEDED

39. WHEN IS THE FIRST RESPONDERS’ JOB DONE

40. QUESTIONS?