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HomeMy WebLinkAboutRadiological Peacetime Exercise 1986 RADIOLOGICAL RESPONSE TEAMS July 7 -11, 1986 Class Roster Alexander, Paul A. Nash, George W. Paramedic /Firefighter Police Dept. ( Huntsville 77340 Palestine 75801 Arndt, Douglas C. Rinehart, Corbin E. Fireman Police Dept. ( New Ulm 78950 Huntsville 77340 Brown, Robert F. Senasac, Ray L. EMS /F.D. EMS ( Huntsville 77340 Hempstead 77445 Elliott, Kenny E. Skelton, Stephen R. Deputy Sheriff Fire Dept. ( Bryan 77802 Conroe 77303 George, James F. (Jr.) Strong, Jeridan EMS /Fireman Brazos Cty. Civil Defense ( El Campo 77437 College Station 77840 Kennedy, Susan Blake Williams, Herbert M. (Jr.) Emergency Management Asst. Fire Dept. ( Madisonville 77864 Bellville 77418 Markowski, Ben J. Woody,II, James M. Firefighter Fire /EMS ( Marlin 76661 College Station 77840 McGraw, Maggie Firefighter ( College Station 77840 RADIOLOGICAL EXERCISE PEACETIME EXERCISE A NOTE ABOUT YOUR ROLE: During this exercise you are to assume the role of a RADIOLOGICAL RESPONDER in Bryan. You will be a part of the Radiological Protection System of the community and will report to the Radiological Officer who will head the RPS. The Radiological Officer reports to the Emergency Management Coordinator (EMC) who heads the Emergency Management Organization for Bryan. The EMC reports to the Mayor. Unless otherwise stated in a question, you are to answer each of' the questions from the perspective of the radiological responder. PLANNING AND PREPARATION You live in Bryan, a city situated in Brazos County in the State of Texas. To prepare for this exercise, you need to make some assumptions about your community, the area in which it is located and your radiological defense organization and its resources. You may use the attached maps and make any REASONABLE assumptions you wish about the community and the county resources. You may even base their capabilities on the known capabilities of' your own community if you wish and imagine yourself responding to this scenario with your own resources. To begin, use your maps and answer the following general questions about the radiation hazards in your City. RRT 1. What type of radiological material moves through or near your City? 0/4- \i,/k4-4 `7‘5 r ,QgAcrg4 1449> Alm RRT 2. By what modes does the material move? 7ie�! fitc,4Az y /11/10i RRT 3. In your judgment, what types of radiological incidents have the highest probability of occurring? (List them in descending order of probability.) '4 > re 1 RRT 4. Where are each of these types of incidents likely to happen? (Use a little deduction here and estimate the most likely sp ots based on traffic flow, etc.) _ �>, o % gX AS t4)1"`" Zip J4 W ,v,O Vi - 0491 ?ridr�ss Go Ay RRT 5. Who are the likely responders to a radiological accident? 1. .A n144,4 te- 2 NEEDS ASSESSMENT AND TRAINING REQUIREMENTS Now that we have established a familiarity with Bryan and Brazos County, let us make some assumptions about our radiological organization and its resources. RRT 1. What capabilities does your organization (instrumentation, equipment, personnel) have to respond to a radiological incident? (You may wish to base this on a known organization represented in your group.) c y - c , f ) r.4 coV - '? 1 rte" C� RRT 2. Based on the range of likely peacetime incidents described in the "Overview" session, what range of radiation monitoring instrument capabilites are you likely to need for a peacetime radiological incident? cpy lac 3 z.. ®,5, 7/S /V,01 z boo Arecree 6,4/0414 19 RRT 3. Do you have a current Radiological Defense Annex to your Population Protection Plan for your community? 3 EXERCISE SCENARIO WITH DISCUSSION QUESTIONS AND PROBLEMS (Day 1 - 0800 - Scene Setter) The day dawned bright and clear across Bryan with a light northwest wind. It is a Tuesday morning and the spring so far has blessed Brazos County with mild weather. It is early morning around the city with the usual hustle and bustle of traffic on all the major through -ways at a peak. John Cloves is headed east this morning along 29th Street in his gray 1980 GMC van with a fresh load of radiopharmaceuticals for hospitals at Bryan and Madisonville. He is in a happy mood, having only recently been promoted from shipping clerk in the warehouse at Nuclear Pharmaceuticals Corporation to driver. He enjoys being out of the warehouse and getting around to the different cities in Texas. Alvin Berger is moving along just ahead of the van driven by John Cloves in a Mack 18- wheeler carrying 17,000 pounds of mixed cargo for the K -Mart chain. He is an experienced driver, having been at the wheel since he was old enough to drive at 18. He celebrated his 38th birthday a month or so back with his wife and 3 children. Traffic on 29 Street is a little heavier than usual; probably because the weather is so nice, John Cloves is thinking, as he keeps his distance from the 18- wheeler just ahead of him. Suddenly an elderly couple in the left lane cuts in front of the truck. The driver cuts sharply to the right to avoid running the little Chevette down. He grazes the car sending it careening off the right side of the road. His truck swerves off the right side of the road but the heavy trailer tips precipitously. The right front tire hits a small washout causing an even more abrupt swerve to the right. John Cloves has seen the truck's brake lights go on and hits his brakes. But he is not prepared for what happens next. The truck rolls over, sliding sideways down the highway. John tries to steer off the road and to stop but he is unable to break his speed in time. The van smashes into the tractor rupturing a fuel tank. The splattering fuel is immediately ignited by the grinding metal and concrete as the tortured mess comes to a sliding halt. (Day 1 - 0805 - Initial Notification) Some distance back a motorist sees the pileup and the billowing smoke from the fire and grabs his CB microphone to yell a warning to any base station in Bryan that is listening. A city patrolman is just moving into traffic at 3300 Coulter Drive when he hears the CB call on Channel 9. He immediately picks up the mike to alert the City Dispatcher, who dispatches two police units and alerts the fire department. 4 DISCUSSION QUESTION 1 RRT 1. Is this necessarily a radiological incident at this point? RRT 2. Is it likely to become one? / 0 Y - MAY/ (Day 1 - 0808 - Initial Response) The first police officer who arrives on the scene calls for additional back -up as he approaches the accident site. Traffic is already backed up 10 blocks on 29th Street and some of the burning fuel is spilling off 29th onto Villa Maria R causing cars to jam on their brakes and swerve around the burning area. People are trapped in several of the cars as a result of the chain reaction collisions that occurred with the initial accident. The first Bryan fire unit arriving at the scene calls for a tanker and another engine and for ambulances. The dispatcher acknowledges that they are being dispatched. As the firemen move closer to the burning debris they notice that the remains of the van carries a barely recognizable radioactive placard on the upturned side. They also notice the Nuclear Pharmaceutical Corporation logo on the back of the van. A number of packages are scattered on the roadway, some from the trailer and some from the van. As a fireman approaches he notices several lead pigs that have apparently been thrown clear of the van and are engulfed in the fire. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS 2 RRT 1. Are the fire fighters aware of the possibility that this may be a radiological event? v�p RRT 2. Do you think that they should continue to fight the fire? err /4//i/ /U A xiP �T 5 RRT 3. What precautions do you think they should take now? � ,,,M4� 'r "4' — )f �J,i /fLeb5 RRT 4. What is their principal concern now, fire fighting and rescue or radiological monitoring? / 6 -- (m-ovv-) (Day 1 - 0815 - Response Actions) The chief orders some of the firemen into SCBA's since their avenue of approach, of necessity, is partly from downwind along the highway. One of the firemen moving into the scene grabs a CDV -700 off the truck and turns it on. Unfortunately he can't get close enough to the burning wreckage to get any readings. The Chief orders any men who are not wearing breathing apparatus with their bunker gear to stay out of the smoke. He also directs that a safety area be established around the site out to 300 feet and that all nonessential personnel be moved outside the area. As the firemen begin to knock down the inferno with water and foam, they notice that several of the packages on the ground, some broken and burned, are carrying white Class I and yellow Class II and III labels. The round pig that is lodged under the edge of the trailer is carrying a radioactive sign with a yellow Class III on it and a label identifies it as a "Mo -99 Generator ". Since the drivers of the two vehicles are beyond help, the chief orders his men to knock down the fire and move back 150 feet until they can get some assistance with the radiological problem. The firemen move quickly to extricate injured people from the wrecked cars near the accident site and to move them to a safer area. (Day 1 - 0830 - Initial Notification) The phone rings at the desk of Marvin Norwood, Emergency Coordinator, and the Bryan Emergency Management dispatcher advises the coordinator that they may have a radiological problem involved in the tractor trailer accident where 29th Street intersects Villa Maria Raod. The Fire Chief on -scene has requested additional assistance with determining the nature and magnitude of any radiological hazard present. 6 DISCUSSION QUESTONS 3 RRT 1. How do you feel about the actions the Chief has taken? Are they adequate from a radiological point of view? r� RRT 2. What would the Chief have done at this point in your community? gib) /fi - GALA / OAc - Any ,4t"- AY/Ail yried. ex -- 7 cry 0 7 /Ale, "Arn/T ' RRT 3. Are firemen likely contaminated at this point ? -- )/et poef 4gee,0 (Day 1 - 0835 - Initial Notification) Emergency Coordinator Marvin Norwood immediately places a call to his Radiological Officer (R.0.). The R.O. alerts two experienced Radiological Monitors (RMs) who proceed to the scene of the accident after picking up monitoring equipmert and other gear from the Emergency Management Center. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS 4 RRT 1. Is this the sequence of events that would' be followed for initial notification in your community? 40-*v0pM0417 0104 RT i e )i to r8reti I Ms RRT 2. What "equipment" do you suppose the monitors have picked up to take with them? 7"f, 7 v , B�►' 4 G 4 nria# d` u � //� eAs 7 Ina' 76 IC/ 11¢ JO4' s TAO C° 6 7 RRT 3. What do you suppose these monitors expect to find, based on what they know of the event so far? p ��,�� �R,t9ii Ti QA, G mil rvo N 60/11 LcevT (Day 1 - 0900 - Initial Response) Once on -scene the two RMs suited up as quickly as possible in protective clothing with face masks and filters. They performed an operational check on their CDV- 700's and CDV -715's and found them in working condition. (Day 1 - 0j15 - Response Action) The first Emergency Medical Technicians on the scene quickly became aware that there was a radiological problem at the scene. They proceeded to stabilize victims and prepared them for transport but they inquired about how serious the radiation problem was. One EMT wondered out loud if he should be transporting "radioactive" patients in his ambulance if it was safe for other people riding aboard. (Day 1 - 0938 - Response Actions) The monitors moved quickly to do a survey of several of the victims that were in cars near the accident site. They determined that there was no contamination of the victims and so informed the Fire Chief and the EMT's. The injured were promptly transported to St. Joseph Hospital. Then the monitors turned their attention to the accident site and the fire and plume. (Day 1 - 1025 - Response Actions) They approached the scene cautiously, carefully noting the firemen working around the scattered boxes, some with radiological labels on them. They noted that many of the packages were burned and broken, obviously with the contents liberated and spilled. They measured significant levels of gamma radiation in the vicinity of the van. Checking some of the packages on the ground they found that the white label Class I packages measure at or below the allowable 0.5 mR /hr at the surface and the two yellow Class II packages measured 35 -40 mR /hr at the surface. They noted that many of the Class I packages were damaged from the fire and impact and had spilled their contents. They confirmed that contamination was spread around the accident scene with dose rates as high as 2.5 R /hr in some localized spots. They so advised the Fire Chief in charge of the operations at the scene who ordered evacuation from the area out to 500 feet around the site and from the downwind area, which was a several square block area. Unfortunately, this area included St. Joseph Hospital located on 2801 Franciscan Drive, a 196 -bed hospital. The Administrator was not excited about the Chief's recommendation that they evacuate the hospital. 8 • DISCUSSION QUESTIONS 5 RRT 1. Would your monitors be trained to suit up in protective gear? r % < . '. RRT 2. What type of contamination did the monitors check the injured persons for? How do you know? Did they have some idea of what they were looking for? RRT 3. Could they be sure they were not contaminated with alpha emitting material? RRT 4. Were the monitors correct in giving priority to monitoring the injured first, in order to get them on their way? Should they have been more concerned about the firemen who were nearer the ,9 < °' ,0 A - A`' 7 scene? //)ee)VAA, 6/tiOO / A , rr�iQl RRT 5. How much could the monitors tell just from what remains of the packaging? What radiation levels do you suppose they expected based on the Type A packaging? What did they expect based on the Class I and II labels? V A- A - d via, iv r- AV S tmefroNG 61W fa RRT 6. Does their guess that these are radiopharmaceuticals suggest anything about the type of radiation that may be present? e /JM/1/ ' 9 RRT 7. Would you be surprised to find radiological contamination at the scene? Are the levels alarmingly high? Do you suppose these monitors are more concerned about the level or just the fact that it is being spread around? , RRT 8. Which is a priority now, exposure control or contamination control? , 7!1414/^JA jJO,V (Day 1 - 1015 - Response Actions) The monitors on -scene discussed the options with the Fire Chief and they revised their recommendation to the hospital administrator that perhaps an alternative to evacuation would be to shut down all air intake and air conditioning systems for the time being until the airborne contaminant was down and the filters could be changed throughout the Hospital. The Administrator decided that the latter alternative was preferable to evacuation and complied. (Day 1 - 1120 - Response Actions) The monitors next began the process of checking the firemen for contamination and found that some 8 of the firemen had varying degrees of contamination. They established a hot line approximately 150 feet upwind of the site and began the process of decontaminating the firemen by having them hosed down, removing outer clothing and resurveying. The effort was only partially successful and the monitors advised the Chief that they would need to establish a decontamination station somewhere nearby. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS 6 RRT 1. Do you agree with the decision not to evacuate the Hospital and to shut down its air handling systems? If not, why not? What would you recommend? Y4'5 - - CC Rt c .T 10 RRT 2. Do you agree with establishing the hot line 150 feet upwind? What would you have done? �� �¢�� � _ 1 /01- 1 )t f4cl.v5 /sif 7 d Q 17 (4lhry N VA! 1/9 RRT 3. Do you feel that the fire fighters should have begun personnel and equipment decontamination efforts? 6 , o ,- T y 5 � Q rtti M (Day 1 - 1130 - Response Actions) In an effort to determine the nature of the radiological materials aboard, the monitors requested the EMC to locate and call Nuclear Pharmaceuticals Corporation. Ray Monahan, Vice President for Operations, was not immediately aware of the contents of the vehicle but acknowledged that it was probably their van. In a few minutes Mr. Monahan was able to confirm that if the van was theirs it was driven by a Mr. John Cloves and it carried 9 Molybdenum -99 generators for delivery to rural hospitals, 7 packages of a liquid Phosphorous -32 and two packages carrying yellow radioactive II labels, contents unknown at this time. G /9rtiMA _ A07 DISCUSSION QUESTIONS 7 RRT 1. Now that you have some idea of what is there, what radiation types are you dealing with? Where can you get this information? C1MMJ? 10' A/KT 1 RRT 2. What do you suppose could be in the Radioactive Class II packages? Is it likely to be a serious radiation hazard? ;�. 11 (Day 1 - 1145 - Response Actions) Quick traffic control on 29th Street slowed traffic down and routed traffic around the hazard area in time to prevent further accident. Traffic was closed on Villa Maria Rd. for about 6 hours and was rerouted through other interchanges. When the intense fire fueled by the truck's fuel tanks had subsided, it was readily extinguished by the fire apparatus on the scene. There was no need for the rescue squad, as the two vehicles were pretty much consumed by the fire with neither driver surviving. (Day 1 - 1200 - Response Problems) Now however, there was a radiological hazard that existed in the debris of the wreck and downwind in the contaminated area. Surface readings taken with the CDV- 700 disclosed readings up to 30 mR /hr in the three square block area affected by the downwind plume. Readings taken in the vicinity of the accident site were as high as 2 R /hr. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS 8 RRT 1. Are these radiation readings reasonable? Could they be in error? Is Alpha contamination present? y�f VAO e (1 ,e4 r,l RRT 2. Is this a serious radiation hazard? Yoe"f C 0 g - fr"1 "44r6 � RRT 3. Is the contamination likely to persist in the downwind area for long? How long? RRT 4. Would the public have a concern for information about the incident at this point? \ �7 T AI f,(15 spit WW1'/ //ebe Ar>' C 12 (Day 1 - 1300 - Response Problems) Texas Department of Health, Bureau of Radiation Control personnel arriving on scene confirmed that radiological hazard existed and that a detailed survey of the area would be necessary to determine the area of contamination. Cleanup procedures should be instituted immediately. Survey efforts confirmed that contamination had been washed off' onto the surface of Villa Maria Rd. and that the ground, building and street surfaces had been contaminated in the several block downwind area. They took samples of the material from what remained of some of the generators and the Class A packages. They confirmed the presence of levels of Mo -99. P -32 and Tc -99 over the area shown in Map. They recovered the remains of the damaged packages and other radioactive materials and placed them in sealed containers. One Mo -99 Generator was recovered intact, the rest were consumed by the fire. (Day 1 - 1600 - Cleanup) The Brazos County Emergency Management Coordinator, Jake CangjO Coordinator David Norwood, the Fire Chief on the scene; the representative from state public health; and other officials conferred regarding a method for cleaning up the contamination along the roadways. It was decided that along Villa Maria Rd. and ahead of the intersection on 29th Street a trench would be dug approximately 3 feet deep and the material washed into the trenches and covered with clean dirt. With the berming that was already in place, this could be accomplished in a matter of hours. It was also agreed that, since the downwind contamination would be around for some weeks (the half -life for Mo -99 is 67 hours, Tc -99 6 hours and P -32 4.3 days) that residents would be allowed to return to their homes but that they would be advised to wash down their sidewalks, building surfaces where possible and to spend as little time outside as possible in the area of the contamination for the next four weeks. All public areas around the exterior of the hospital should be washed down t`.zoroughly and resurveyed and all filters on air conditioners and air conditioning and air handling systems should be replaced. The team recommended that all air intake systems at the Hospital be resurveyed before starting them up. The team further recommended that a personnel monitoring and decontamination facility be established immediately at the Bryan Highschool Gym and that radio and TV announcements be made advising local residents who may have been in the vicinity of the plume and any motorists or other bystanders who may have been contaminated, to report to the decontamination station to be checked for any contamination. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS 9 RRT 1. Do you feel the decontamination facility is needed? If not, why not? What will they do there? 13 The Radiological Officer stressed to the media representatives present that the area affected was limited to a few city blocks in the northwest and that the radiation levels we were talking about were comparatively small. In fact, he stressed that the radiation levels involved here did not represent a serious hazard to anyone except for a long -term health hazard if proper decontamination and cleanup steps were not taken. And that, simply, was what these measures were all about. He stressed the need to provide accurate and complete information to the public and the importance of avoiding sensationalism in this situation. 14 1` x �o- ItAt • : . ,, ,•: Y•4 , - ;, PROTECTION FACTOR FORMULA �'" • w ar s x a ; f. o pis If Distance Times Itself Equals Protection Factor • ±' • Example: Exposure at source 1000 Roentgens per hour R /hr. __% i 31 " if,,'1.5� -.+a .p. Y' :,Vi �+G� {,XR ' i + }# t F I S , . SOURCE -- - . _ 5 I _ _ ft._ lift. 20 l ft. 25 ft._ _ 30_1ft. i 5x5 =25 10x10 =100 15x15 =225 20x20 =400 25x25 =625 30x30 =901 1/25 1/100 1/225 1/400 1/625 1/90 Exposure at 5 . ft. equals 1000 125 = 40 R /hr y , Exposure at 10 ft. equals 1000 : 100 = 10 R /hr " " 15 ft. " 1000 - 225 = 4.4 R /hr " 20 ft. " 1000 - 400 = 2.5 R /hr " 25 ft. " 1000 - 625 = 1.6 R /hr " 30 ft. ` " ' 1000 - 900 = 1.1 R /hr Distance and short time of exposure are always a defensive tool available to the first arriving units. - • e .__ .. MIIMMEMMAIMMOIll TS TECHNICAL SUPPORT the effects of nuclear attack Figure 5 •, r1aG.l 1l 11,.11 effects of a 1 -MT surface burst .1.. 1 snI 16,1 ..... 110 tv = = 1 People close to the detonation, '3;a• ...an.11 .. I"' OP SIMS 141IK.at within 1.7 miles of ground zero, are .:s,. ,o not likely to survive the blast and . « N'•' " • in thermal effects. Out from the total- 1111'N`41•" ( Slate( Onin II , -I .. destruction ring, chances for Sur- '.24"4. '• "1 '"• C'S vival improve markedly. The u,(,I ,...01 I> ^ a I t I LO.,Il.C14. 11•1 n 1 1 percentage of the population ...01,1, 1_, no x surviving blast and thermal effects - -% tgo • ,. • ' •'` increases rapidly as the distance 'f n:- r(tIWnM 1s ,I 41 Ilan • .J td from ground zero increases, but a «tK I-5 , ` i • large portion of the survivors would ..,L,I. O6• _ :::L r, 0 be exposed to the lethal effects of ••N4s . Ina, ,n, 12 ,) . .. !.-k; til®5eSimAl !0 -.k. • radioactive fallout. a.l„ 111 040 sou loo -' ,,, � '• • • •■ NUS MIS as Ma '..• _ !. `•.: 111.1 all } 1 ..1St 101! (0 N4011•11 .01.2161.1 OK •MKI N...M • .v MOM 0...11 OR. 4.5 1IIKS 11• Clan 011 Ml Ms U1 . 1.1400 O . 5 inn 10 1 MIS _' - • • POMO 0 Gant effects o f a 5 -MT surface burst KAI .1.1 WI . 1.4 i 1 1 "17.. Co.a While this amounts to a fivefold ,x ..4 „ KOM :W<« � • II 5.41 MINIMS. i 1 ).• increase in megatonnage over the ' •• Fo'' one- megaton weapon the same w"("(( "•'SIB' In n 01+■01Cl4 Y_ 1 r 1 blast and thermal effects occur at TIPS..a,r.n. • - Went 0aunt n , -, ,,, less than twice the distance from :;�y�. « �411[SW.M, o ground zero. As in the case of the u „1, 0...11 IS : rO, +,Krs -11,1 - '1 1. ;: one megaton weapon, millions of ..a,r.15 , !` ` +,a L, ,,, people could survive these initial 1-• effects .,;':,n... ' • 4 - .. - Of 4111 aI1'•;. ; 1 y t • (1C'(110 , Y 1 - S�'. _ "SC 11 ”. . ,. ( -0 ,., V Insollin .� }• J t>~ .•■ 1111141 ,r) 5- 121..1•' t :y a4.IS r . � 1111 ' L r: liu 4f.:.-. - - _ Y �: A ' ��m�l7ll:a+M lO ...t. •11': A • Cavil ) 1 . • Om MI5 •12211 U a1S MM 1111 Ira alf 0„K11 [Mao 10411.0 aU *1 TI. .cal • aal 0...a. • r. `•: 40011101..M110111.01 .0 wins Pala M a Cllr 111 In c ....a. 1111 MOW nal I Ml l.11•11 l. 1111- .- .-•.a..... ..:,L•�..... .n -• .a. ..,: ." .. 5.. 4 . . • . . . . • atlas, 01 Puna effects of a 25 -MT surface burst "1. Mal WI 1 101.1 Puna TO !"'7 = G \ r * 4 10+•1 114 Although this amounts to a fivefold •4;�;.. •°° °a.lin. VD' TB 5.41 1410.0(0 . increase in megatonnage over the •: ' 5 weapon, the same blast and '•""ll P 1 le CN..I14. 4- •,,, v. thermal effects occur at less than S; ; twice the distance from ground - s 9-- ' - ' ° • ' - . \. zero. You will note that this weapon • 1 11 IK .... 0« : -• ol ' amounts to a 25 -fold increase in ...4.11 . ` .,1 , megatonnage over the one - megaton . � 3 . r 6 � �` y 'a •�'-' •,e eu lMUnw /y wea on; • however, the same blast , �-y p • = and thermal effects occur r at ap- ..,�.,. ^ ��•110111 ` 0 , tee ti. G proximately three times the distance anrvs • . ' "• " "' I t � • from ground zero. 25.41 „1;';;> i s Fadr —r. �� G.n1 T NIS 1.0 14.4 Ills MIS ' ..1' rlurS, IS anon 104mum W14K1a1114. 14.011.00 • .00a1., 0..41 nor • All ,.0 Innis alai n 111 W 11.0.010 I N. 14 man 11 21 M a . 5