This page describes recommended response areas, locations and facilities that should be established at the incident scene
in a radiological emergency.
| Area/location/facility |
Description/Functions |
Characteristics |
| Inner cordoned area
|
Area around a dangerous radioactive source where precautions should be taken to protect responders and the public from potential
external exposure and contamination. The boundary of this area is called the safety perimeter.
|
The determination of size for this area is based initially on information that can be directly observed (e.g. markings). The
size may be expanded based on ambient dose rate readings when these data become available. The safety perimeter is defined
in a way that it is easily recognizable (e.g. along roads).
|
| Outer cordoned area
|
Secured area around the inner cordoned area. The border of this area is called the security perimeter.
|
The security perimeter is defined in a way that it is easily recognizable (e.g. along roads) and secured. |
| Incident command post (ICP)
|
Location of the IC and other members of the unified command and support staff. |
An area that is secure, safe and convenient for directing operations. |
| Forensic evidence management area
|
Location consisting of the forensic evidence processing centre (location for the supervised processing, recording, examination and photography of items and evidence recovered from the
scene) and forensic evidence storage area (location for the secure storage of evidence recovered from the scene and for maintenance of the continuity and integrity
of evidence).
|
Located in the inner cordoned area adjacent to the safety access and contamination control area. |
| Public information centre (PIC)
|
Location for the coordination of all official information released to the media concerning the emergency. |
Located in a secure area in the vicinity of the emergency scene near the ICP with space and infrastructure to support the
media briefings.
|
| Public processing area
|
Location consisting of the triage/first aid area, registration area, public monitoring / decontamination area. At this location
the following tasks are performed:
- processing and registering the public evacuated from the inner cordoned area;
- medical triage, first aid and preparation of victims for transport; and
- monitoring and decontamination of the public evacuated from the inner cordoned area.
|
Located within the outer cordoned area with access for medical transport. Ambient dose rates in the area need to be at levels
close to background levels.
|
| Local hospital
|
Hospital to provide the first treatment to exposed and/or contaminated people. |
Located close to the scene of an emergency and that has been contacted to prepare to receive exposed and/or contaminated victims. |
| Response contamination control area
|
Location for the control of contamination from response personnel entering and leaving the inner cordoned area. |
Located at the boundary of the inner cordoned area and away from the public processing area. |
| Staging area
|
Location used to collect and organize additional resources as they arrive in the vicinity of the emergency. |
Located where it will not interfere with other ongoing response actions and has been searched and secured. |
| Temporary morgue area
|
Location for the dignified storage of deceased victims whose bodies may be contaminated or have not been released by the forensic
evidence management team.
|
May be located in a tent or existing facility that is secured within the outer cordoned area away from the view of the general
public.
|
| Waste storage area
|
Location where potentially contaminated items (e.g. clothing) are stored. |
Located within the outer cordoned area that is secured and preferably in a structure to prevent the spread of contamination
(e.g. by wind or rain).
|
