TEPP Briefing 1

Are You Prepared?Response to a Radiological Transportation Accident,

SimplifiedFreddie Bell

DOE TEPP Contract Support Representative

freddie@trgroupinc.com

TEPP Briefing 2

Transportation by Air, Rail & Highway

TEPP Briefing 3

Transportation by Air, Rail & Highway

• Annual Estimates of United States Hazardous Materials Shipping Activities

• 500 Billion packages

• 400 Million are hazardous material

• 3 Million are radioactive

• DOE ships 5,000 to 20,000

TEPP Briefing 4

What do you do when an accident happens?

TEPP Briefing 5TEPP Briefing 5

What is our role as a Federal agency?

• 44 CFR 351.1 assigns Federal Agency responsibilities for assisting state and local governments in emergency planning and preparedness for radiological/nuclear emergencies

Participate with FEMA in assisting state and local governments in developing their radiological emergency plans, evaluating exercises to test plans, and evaluating the plans and preparedness

Assist FEMA with the development, implementation, and presentation to the extent that resources permit of training programs for federal, state and local radiological emergency response personnel

Assist FEMA in developing and promulgating guidance to state and local governments for the preparation of radiological emergency plans

TEPP Briefing 6

DOE Implemented the Transportation

Emergency Preparedness

Program (TEPP)

www.em.doe.gov/otem

TEPP Briefing 7

TEPP Briefing 8

TEPP Goals

• Serve as a Department-wide program

• Provide planning and technical assistance to promote a coordinated response to transportation incidents involving radioactive material

• Provide training assistance and promote development of flexible, low-cost, high-quality training materials

• Serve as a link between emergency preparedness and transportation planning

TEPP Briefing 9

TEPP Implementation

• Through eight Regional Coordinating Offices

• TEPP Regional Coordinator located with each DOE region

TEPP Briefing 10

The first step to preparedness. . .

• Determine applicability and conduct a needs assessment

• The Needs Assessment will:• assist in

determining readiness

• identify strengths & weaknesses

TEPP Briefing 11

Second step – address weaknesses in plans & procedures

TEPP Plans & Procedures• Model Initial Response

Procedures• Model Annex for

Preparedness and Response to a Radiological Transportation Incident • provides basic structure

and annotated guidance for transportation addendum to existing plans

TEPP Briefing 12

. . .and address training weakness

• Modular Emergency Response Radiological Transportation Training (MERRTT)• MERRTT has a modular design

• 16 modules (some with embedded video clips)• 5 hands-on practical exercises • Can be integrated into existing hazmat

curriculum or delivered as stand-alone course• Can be instructor-led or self-paced instruction

• Intended for responders with previous hazardous material response training

• MERRTT is designed to supplement existing hazmat training

• Many states have adopted MERRTT as their own training program

TEPP Briefing 13

MERRTT ProgramDAY ONE MODULES• Radiological Basics• Biological Effects• Radioactive Material Shipping

Packages• Hazard Recognition• Initial Response Actions• Patient Handling • Incident Control • Radiological Survey Instruments

& Dosimetry Devices • Transportation of Safeguards

Material

DAY TWO MODULES• DOE Shipments and

Resources • Decontamination, Disposal

and Documentation• WIPP Module• Pre-Hospital Practices• Transportation by Rail • Incident Command• Public Information Officer

TEPP Briefing 14

MERRTT Student Material

• Student Workbooks have been prepared for each module in the MERRTT program• Everything contained on the MERRTT DVD

TEPP Briefing 15

Hands On Exercises

• MERRTT includes 5 hands-on practical exercises to reinforce material presented in the modules• Instrument Use• Patient Handling• Package Integrity• Contamination Survey• Picture Card Practical

TEPP Briefing 16

TEPP Training

• In 2009, 2,156 responders were trained using MERRTT • 896 participated in DOE-sponsored

training sessions • 1,260 participated in state or local

level-sponsored training sessions • 2,735 trained thru Independent

Study • 670 received continuing education

hours (CEH)

TEPP Briefing 17

TEPP Exercises

• Tabletop, Drill & Exercise Program Manual (Drills-In-A-Box):• Guidance For Planning, Conducting and

Evaluating Transportation Emergency Preparedness Tabletops, Drills and Exercises

TEPP Briefing 18

TEPP Full-Scale Exercises

TEPP Briefing 19TEPP Briefing 19

TEPP Full-Scale Exercises

• In the past 14 months, TEPP has sponsored the following HSEEP compliant tabletops, drills, and exercises:Fort Hall, ID – Operation Rad Relief - 1

tabletop and 3 drillsLaguna, NM – Operation Enchantment – 1

full scale exerciseFort Hall, ID – Operation RadReck – 1 full

scale exerciseN. Platte, NE – Operations Great Plains – 1

tabletop, 3 drills, full scale exerciseGroton, CT – Operation RadResponse 3

drills, and full scale

TEPP Briefing 20

TEPP Implementation Process

Determine Applicability

Conduct Needs Assessment

Adopt Model Procedures

Conduct Drills to Validate Procedures & Training

Determine Frequency - Repeat as Necessary

Identify Procedures/Plan Weaknesses Identify Training Program Weaknesses

Conduct Responder Training

No Weakness Identified No Weakness Identified

TEPP Briefing 21

Want to know more?

• The TEPP web site provides one-stop shopping• MERRTT Training Schedule• 24-Hour Points of Contact • Model Needs Assessment• Exercise Planning Resources

www.em.doe.gov/otem

TEPP Briefing 22

Questions

?