We know how complicated a radiological response
can be, and how difficult it is to get accurate
data to decision-makers in near real-time.
That’s why the Federal Emergency Management
Agency, the Department of Energy / National
Nuclear Security Administration, and the Environmental
Protection Agency built the RadResponder Network.
Thanks to federal funding, RadResponder is
provided FREE to all state, local, tribal,
and territorial emergency response organizations
so that they can make informed, life-saving
decisions based on the most recent and accurate
data.
Since the state of Michigan adopted RadResponder
into their Radiological Emergency Preparedness
program, they has become a leader in its testing,
training, and implementation.
Their work is a great example of how an organization
can use technology, creativity, and planning,
to vastly improve their state’s response
capabilities during a radiological or nuclear
incident.
We are proud of the work Michigan has done,
and hope their story will inspire other states
to integrate RadResponder into their own REP
programs.
At this point, RadResponder in Michigan is
ready to go.
We’ve successfully demonstrated dose assessment
capabilities during multiple drills and at
a FEMA-evaluated exercise.
Were a radiological incident to happen today,
we would be ready to use RadResponder.
There are several important “keys” to
RadResponder success: testing, planning, and
training.
Each are essential components to having a
robust system that will fully utilize all
of the RadResponder network’s features.
The first key is testing.
When we first saw RadResponder in action,
we knew that purchasing and testing the equipment
needed to use RadResponder would be an important
starting point.
While not everyone will use our exact method
for data collection, figuring out what equipment
you’ll need, from survey meters to sampling
kits to mobile phones to computers, is essential
to fully utilizing the RadResponder software
and website.
The next key is planning.
After you know how your equipment works, it’s
important to put together guides and procedures
for how to use RadResponder.
It’s also a good time to develop and assign
RadResponder roles in your response.
Who’s going to manage equipment?
Who’s going to create and manage an event?
Who is responsible for collected data or assessing
the collected data?
More broadly, what is your organization trying
to use RadResponder to do and how do you want
to go about accomplishing it?
There’s no one right answer, but the key
to finding one is planning.
Finally, the last key, training.
After we’d developed guides and procedures
and had an idea what we wanted the RadResponder
Network to do for us, we set out to train
our emergency responders.
We started with explanations of how the equipment,
the software, and the website worked.
We then moved to hands-on demos to give our
responders first-hand experience using RadResponder.
Finally, we sent our responders into the field
for a drill.
We developed a real-time scenario with the
simulation software Teletrix that sent simulated
readings to our meters.
Seeing how our meters were actually responding
gave our response teams valuable insight into
how their meters would react during an actual
radiological emergency.
While it has had its challenges and taken
many hours of testing, planning, and training
to get there, we stand before you today to
say that RadResponder CAN be successfully
incorporated into radiological emergency response
programs.
Want to hear more about the interesting things
we are doing in Michigan?
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We look forward to connecting with you.
