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"This training allowed my guys to recognize, understand and react appropriately."
- CHief Dan Morgan
Rockdale Fire DEPT.
hen members of the Rockdale County Fire Department responded to an accident on February 1, they found the driver trapped inside his courier truck. They anticipated potential injuries, but what they didn’t expect to find was radioactive material. While this discovery could be cause for apprehension, Rockdale County first responders were confident in their team’s abilities to handle the situation. Upon learning that the truck was transporting radioactive pharmaceuticals, they called in their hazmat team for support.
Just months before, Mark Wyland, GEMA/HS’ Waste Isolation Pilot Program manager, provided the Rockdale Fire Department advanced training on what to do when faced with a radiological incident. The September 2016 training used live sources during field drills, simulating a real-world incident response.
The county’s EMA Director and Fire Chief Dan Morgan attributes the WIPP training to the team’s success with the recent incident.
“The training allowed my guys to recognize, understand, and react appropriately,” said Morgan.
Radiological material travels Georgia roads and neighborhoods every day. Examples include transport of medical materials to hospitals, industrial sources for construction, WIPP waste and other materials. Wyland is responsible for training the state’s first responders and EMAs to ensure they’re prepared to respond if a vehicle transporting any of these materials is involved in an accident.
When training first begins, half his first responders say they get concerned when they see the presence of radioactive material, but Wyland said by the end of WIPP training “they are no longer scared, but confident.”
The training includes an eight-hour and a 16-hour class which runs three consecutive days, allowing a department to train their entire team over one or two weeks. Each year approximately 400 first responders attend the course taught by Wyland.
As a provider of training across the state, relationships with county EMA directors, federal, state and local agencies are vital to Wyland’s work.
“It’s all about developing relationships, so that the first time you see an EMA director is not at an incident,” said Wyland.
In addition to the hundreds of relationships with locals that Wyland has cultivated throughout the years, he’s also established a strong partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy.
“Because of Mark’s experience and relationship with the DOE, he’s been able to provide the counties specialized training that they otherwise would not have access to,” said Stephen Clark, GEMA/HS Radiological Programs Director.
Those specialized training courses include high level “hot source” training courses that give advanced students the opportunity to work with high activity radioactive sources. This allows students to train with their radiation meters in a field of radiation higher than normal classes to see how their instruments react. Student radiation doses are closely monitored so they receive the minimum dose possible, which is far below anything that would cause long-term health effects. GEMA/HS also provides training to hospitals receiving contaminated patients and coroner training on how to handle a contaminated corpse are also offered by GEMA/HS.
While situations involving radiological material are rare, Wyland’s efforts throughout the state are ensuring that Georgia first responders have the training and experience needed to keep the public safe.
DISPATCH
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