Resilience and preparedness are at the heart of effective emergency response - and they are qualities that look set to prove increasingly important as the global CBRNe and HazMat community contends with the far-reaching impacts of COVID-19.
As the far-reaching impacts of the pandemic dominate the world news, more and more people are being asked to work remotely in an effort to curb the spread of the virus.
THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELLED DUE TO COVID-19
The introduction of new radiation safety standards, combined with the as yet unknown outcome of Brexit, have contributed to a plethora of challenges that are likely to impact those operating within the radiation protection (RP) community for many years to come.
The quest to find practical solutions to these many issues will provide a central focus for the upcoming Society for Radiological Protection (SRP) Annual Conference, which is scheduled to take place at the Bournemouth International Centre, UK, from April 28th to April 30th 2020.
Note: This event has now been postponed until 23rd - 25th June 2020.
With many major cities across Europe falling victim to critical incidents in recent years, the threat of terrorism remains a high priority.
With this in mind, the upcoming 7th annual CBRNe Summit Europe Conference and Exhibition, which returns to Brno in the Czech Republic from 23rd - 25th June 2020, promises an invaluable opportunity to explore European CBRNe preparedness and capability.
Hands-on training in realistic environments is a cornerstone of CBRNe disaster preparedness, whether for the purpose of military exercises, first response or civilian operations.
The quality, frequency and consistency of CBRNe training has a substantial part to play in how easily personnel are able to acquire both the theory and the practice - and in how effectively they are able to continue to apply that knowledge in the long-term.
The UK's leading annual Security and Policing event will be taking place at the Farnborough International Exhibition and Conference Centre this March 3rd to March 5th 2020.
Hosted by the Home Office's Joint Security and Resilience Centre (JSaRC), the Security & Policing exhibition is the only 'closed' event of its kind and, as such, is widely regarded as being a cornerstone of the UK security calendar.
For those who work in, or in the vicinity of, environments where known quantities of ionizing radiation are in regular use, radiological surveying is a routine task.
As a result they are likely to have a heightened familiarity both with the functionality of the equipment they use, and with the relevance of the dosimetric data that they obtain.
For those working within an emergency management or first response role, however, the possibility of encountering an ionising radiation hazard in the course of their daily duties is far less common.
All emergency situations present some element of risk for first responders - however an incident can be further complicated by the presence of ionising radiation.
In some scenarios, having familiarity with the different locations where radioactivity is used can provide responders with some forewarning of the hazard that they are about to encounter - for example, in the case of a vehicular accident involving the transportation of a radiological source, or an incident that takes place within a hospital's nuclear pharmacy.
In other situations though, the radiological hazard may not be suspected, expected or immediately apparent.
When the pressure is on to make quick decisions in emergency response situations, the value of practical personal experience is something that can never be underestimated.
But while the "human factor" remains an inestimable force, it is also essential that first responders have access to the appropriate technological support to enable them to work safely and effectively in the field.
The first half of the twentieth century represented a period of major advancement in the harnessing of nuclear science and technology, which in turn fueled the urgency to safely utilise, manage and contain these powerful radiological materials.
Different types of radiation possess varying amounts of energy, with gamma rays being by far the most penetrating.
The ability with which personnel are able to accurately localise and detect a gamma radiation hazard is therefore crucial in reducing the risk of harmful health effects caused by exposure.
Radiological surveying is an integral task in maintaining safety wherever quantities of ionizing radiation are in use, or where they are suspected to be present.
Whether it is in the context of a military operation, emergency first response or an industrial setting, radiation safety personnel need to be equipped with the right tools to ensure they can accurately assess their environment and determine the best course of action.