National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements Homeland Security Recommendations Related to Nuclear and Radiological Terrorism DHS Standards Program Review August 29, 2006 Name - DA Schauer Title - Executive Director Office - NCRP Phone - 301.657.2652 (x20) E-mail - schauer@ncrponline.org Websites http://ncrponline.org and http://ncrppublications.org
Brief Introductory Remarks NCRP s Mission and Operational Structure NCRP is a nonprofit, public service organization chartered by Congress to: Collect, analyze, develop & disseminate information & recommendations on: 1. protection against radiation, and 2. radiation measurements, quantities and units, particularly those concerned with radiation protection Following approval of a new activity by the Board of Directors, a scientific committee is formed to produce an NCRP publication. Critical reviews are performed by Council (100) and Honorary Members (48), and Collaborating (70) and Special Liaison Organizations (18) to ensure that NCRP publications represent the consensus of leading scientific experts. Public comments are collected and considered by the committee.
Project Objectives FY05-06 (Immediate) Publish: NCRP Commentary No. 19, Key Elements of Preparing Emergency Responders for Nuclear and Radiological Terrorism (produced by NCRP Scientific Committee 2-1) Convene: NCRP Scientific Committee 2-2, Key Decision Points and Information Needed by Decision Makers in the Aftermath of Nuclear and Radiological Terrorism FY07-11 (Future) Propose: NCRP Scientific Committee 5-1, Elements and Approach to Optimizing Decision Making for Late Phase Recovery from Nuclear and Radiological Terrorism
Project Objectives (con t.) FY07-11 (Future, con t.) Evaluate: NCRP Scientific Committee 2-3, Efficient Large-Scale Decontamination Procedures for an Affected Urban Population Following a Nuclear or Radiological Incident NCRP Scientific Committee 5-2, Disposition of a Large Volume of Contaminated Waste Materials Resulting from Cleanup of an Area Affected by a Nuclear or Radiological Terrorism Incident
Project Overview NCRP Scientific Committee 2-1 SC 2-1, 2 Radiation Protection Recommendations for First Responders Intended for DHS and state and local authorities who prepare emergency responders for terrorist incidents involving radiation or radioactive materials. Build on previous NCRP reports NCRP Report No. 65, Management of Persons Accidentally Contaminated with Radionuclides (1980) currently being updated by NCRP SC 4-1. 4 NCRP Report No. 138, Management of Terrorist Events Involving Radioactive Material (2001). Address three specific areas: Address 1. Radiation detection and personal protection equipment for emergency responders; 2. Radiation decontamination advice and equipment, and medical supplies needed at the local level; and 3. Content and frequency of training and exercises at the federal, state and local levels with regard to radiation protection and measurements.
Project Overview NCRP Scientific Committee 2-2 SC 2-2, 2 2, Key Decision Points and Information Needed by Decision Makers in the Aftermath of Nuclear and Radiological Terrorism The report will have two primary components: 1. Information needed by decision makers to protect the health and safety of emergency responders and the public, and to ensure security of the affected area; and 2. Consolidated recommendations on key decision points, levels of radiation doses or concurrent hazards (e.g., fire, chemical release, etc.) at which a response should be initiated, and the nature, timing, and extent of the response.
Project Overview NCRP Scientific Committee 2-2 (con t.) In addition, a workshop has been proposed that will be held at the time an initial draft of the report has been completed. The workshop will focus on the development and application of tabletop exercises to test the effectiveness of recommendations for decision makers contained in the draft report. The report will then be revised to incorporate changes considered necessary on the basis of results of the workshop.
Project Overview NCRP Scientific Committee 5-1 SC 5-1, 5 Elements and Approach to Optimizing Decision Making for Late Phase Recovery from Nuclear and Radiological Terrorism The report will include the following components: 1. A description of the optimization process; 2. Consolidated recommendations for late phase recovery; and 3. Tabletop exercises on sample scenarios to illustrate the effectiveness of the recommended optimization process.
Project Stakeholders Federal, State and Local Officials who prepare emergency responders for terrorism incidents that involve radiation or radioactive materials: Fire Police Medical Public Health Officials Federal Partners: DHS Science and Technology DOD Navy DTRA DOE Environment, Safety and Health NRC Nuclear Regulatory Research CDC Radiation Studies Branch State Partners: Conference of Radiation Control Program Directors (CRCPD) Local Partners: Fire Department City of New York
Project Background Prevent, Prepare for, Respond to, and Recover from Nuclear and Radiological Terrorism Incidents: Recent Past: Prevent: In December 2003 NCRP published: 1. Commentary No. 16, Screening of Humans for Security Purposes Using Ionizing Radiation Scanning Systems; and 2. Commentary No. 17, Pulsed Fast Neutron Analysis System Used in Security Surveillance. Prepare for: In October 2001 NCRP published Report No. 138, Management of Terrorist Events Involving Radioactive Material. Immediate (DHS funded): Respond to: In December 2004 NCRP convened SC 2-1 to produce a commentary on radiation protection recommendations for first responders. In 2006 NCRP will convene SC 2-2, Key Decision Points and Information Needed by Decision Makers in the Aftermath of Nuclear and Radiological Terrorism.
Project Background Prevent, Prepare for, Respond to, and Recover from Nuclear and Radiological Terrorism Incidents: Future (proposed DHS funding): Respond to: NCRP proposes to convene SC 2-3, Efficient Large-Scale Decontamination Procedures for an Affected Urban Population Following a Nuclear or Radiological Incident Recover from: NCRP proposes to convene SC 5-1, Elements and Approach to Optimizing Decision Making for Late Phase Recovery from Nuclear and Radiological Terrorism NCRP proposes to convene SC 5-2, Disposition of a Large Volume of Contaminated Waste Materials Resulting from Cleanup of an Area Affected by a Nuclear or Radiological Terrorism Incident
Project Status NCRP Commentary No. 19 NCRP Commentary No. 19 was published in 2005 and widely distributed in both hardcopy and electronic formats. Provides DHS and state and local authorities advice and information to prepare emergency responders in the conduct of their critical work in a radiation environment resulting from such a terrorism incident. This includes: use of delineated radiation control zones; use of a decision dose (cumulative absorbed dose to the responder) for life-saving and other critical activities; use of standard protective gear (i.e., bunker gear and supplied air) with regard to radiation protection; and the importance of individual radiation dose records and management of radiation exposures for emergency responders involved in life-saving and other critical actions. In 2006 a book review will be published in Health Physics.
Project Budget FY05 Funding - $454k Funding Expended - $454k (as of 12/31/05) Funds remaining - $0 FY06 funding $492k (pending approval) Request for out-years FY07 - $496k (submitted) FY08 to FY11 - $500k per FY (proposed)
Milestones and Schedule NCRP Scientific Committee 2-1 Item Date Task Order Start Aug 2004 NCRP SC 2-1 formed and approved by the Board of Directors* Nov 2004 NCRP SC 2-1 convened Dec 2004 Five committee meetings Jan to Dec 2005 Draft commentary submitted for Council review Oct 2005 Chairman and subcommittee chairmen met to review and resolve Council review and other comments Commentary No. 19, Key Elements of Preparing First Responders for Nuclear and Radiological Terrorism published Dec 2005 Dec 2005 *Consisted of 22 members from academia, government agencies and the private sector. Included peer reviews by NCRP Collaborating and Special Liaison Organizations.
Milestones and Schedule NCRP Scientific Committee 2-2 Item Date Task Order Start Sep 2006 NCRP SC 2-2 to be formed and approved by the Board of Directors* Nov 2006 NCRP SC 2-2 to be convened Dec 2006 Five committee meetings to be held Dec 2006 to Oct 2008 Draft report to be submitted for Council review Dec 2008 Committee will meet to review and resolve Council review and other comments Report No. xxx, Key Decision Points and Information Needed by Decision Makers in the Aftermath of Nuclear and Radiological Terrorism will be published Feb 2009 Mar 2009 *Will consist of 12 members from academia, government agencies and the private sector. Will include peer reviews by NCRP Collaborating and Special Liaison Organizations.
Milestones and Schedule NCRP Scientific Committee 5-1 Item Date Task Order Start Jan 2007 NCRP SC 5-1 to be formed and approved by the Board of Directors* Mar 2007 NCRP SC 5-1 to be convened Apr 2007 Five committee meetings to be held Apr 2007 to Feb 2009 Draft report to be submitted for Council review Apr 2009 Committee will meet to review and resolve Council review and other comments Report No. xxx, Elements and Approach to Optimizing Decision Making for Late Phase Recovery from Nuclear and Radiological Terrorism will be published Jun 2009 Jul 2009 *Will consist of 12 members from academia, government agencies and the private sector. Will include peer reviews by NCRP Collaborating and Special Liaison Organizations.
Products and Deliverables NCRP Scientific Committees 2-2 and 5-1 Products and Deliverables Date SC 2-22 SC 5-15 Quarterly progress reports Each Quarter Each Quarter Interim report on scientific committee progress Dec 2007 Apr 2008 Draft report completed Dec 2008 Apr 2009 Revised report approved by Council members Feb 2009 Jun 2009 Publication of final report Mar 2009 Jul 2009
Technical Approach Select committee chairpersons who possess the technical and leadership skills to ensure that the committees produce quality reports on schedule; Assign committee members and an NCRP technical staff consultant who are experts in the areas to be addressed in the reports; Provide meeting facilities and online tools to facilitate drafting of reports; Perform critical reviews by Council and Honorary Members, Collaborating and Special Liaison Organizations; Collect public comments by posting draft reports on the NCRPonline.org website; Publish reports in both hardcopy and electronic (i.e., PDF) for distribution via the NCRPpublications.org website; and Submit reports to relevant journals to obtain independent reviews.
Issues/Technical Challenges Volunteers: As a nonprofit, cost-reimbursement organization NCRP relies on experts who serve on committees without compensation. This approach represents a considerable cost savings to the funding agency, however committee members first obligation is often to their employer. Therefore, NCRP assigns a technical staff consultant to each committee to assist with meetings, drafting and final publication preparation. Consensus building: Depending on the topic that is being addressed, achieving consensus may require a considerable amount of time. The hallmark of NCRP publications is that they represent the consensus of leading scientific experts.
Accomplishments FY05 All quarterly progress reports were distributed. The draft report of SC 2-1 was completed. FY06 All quarterly progress reports have been distributed. Commentary No. 19, Key Elements of Preparing First Responders for Nuclear and Radiological Terrorism was published. Statements of work and cost proposals for SC 2-2 and SC 5-1 have been submitted to DHS for review and approval.