IAEA Training in Emergency Preparedness and Response

Specific Aspects of Exercises for Response to Emergencies Arising

from Malicious Acts - Exercise Scenarios

LectureLecture

Module L-058Module L-058

L-058: Specific Aspects of Exercises for Response to Emergencies Arising from Malicious Acts – Exercise Scenarios

2

Introduction

• Malicious acts are not bound by the laws of probability

• Many possible scenarios

• This lecture contains some

• Treat with care

L-058: Specific Aspects of Exercises for Response to Emergencies Arising from Malicious Acts – Exercise Scenarios

3

Contents

• Categories of malicious acts

• Scenarios for each category

L-058: Specific Aspects of Exercises for Response to Emergencies Arising from Malicious Acts – Exercise Scenarios

4

Categories of Malicious Acts

1) Threat to commit a malicious act involving the use of radioactive materials

2) Deliberate act to irradiate persons3) Deliberate act to contaminate food or water

supplies with radioactive materials4) Explosive radiation dispersal device (RDD)5) Deliberate act to contaminate a site or the

environment with radioactive materials6) Sabotage attack upon a nuclear facility aimed at

causing an uncontrolled release of radioactive materials

L-058: Specific Aspects of Exercises for Response to Emergencies Arising from Malicious Acts – Exercise Scenarios

5

Threat - Example

• Regulatory authority receive a fax saying that there will be an attack on a major nuclear facility within the next 5 days

• No details provided on:• Nature of the attack • Facility

• The fax says that this attack against the "establishment" will demonstrate its weakness and moral ineptitude

L-058: Specific Aspects of Exercises for Response to Emergencies Arising from Malicious Acts – Exercise Scenarios

6

Threat – Example (1)

• When contacted, a nuclear research facility (or other) and a nuclear power plant independently report that people posing as journalists have been roaming around over three days one week ago

• Army base (far from the facility) reports the theft of a large quantity of explosives

L-058: Specific Aspects of Exercises for Response to Emergencies Arising from Malicious Acts – Exercise Scenarios

7

Threat - Challenges

• There is NO impact yet

• Need to determine seriousness of the threat

• Need to consider pre-emptive threat reduction measures

• Medical: could be the trigger

• Media: to inform or not to inform?• That is the question

L-058: Specific Aspects of Exercises for Response to Emergencies Arising from Malicious Acts – Exercise Scenarios

8

Threat - Exercise Notes

• Two-phase exercise• Search and assessment

• Threat-reduction measures

• Good for tabletop

• Good for field exercise with all authorities involved

L-058: Specific Aspects of Exercises for Response to Emergencies Arising from Malicious Acts – Exercise Scenarios

9

Deliberate Irradiation - Example

• Police receive call from an unknown person:• There are powerful radioactive sources located

in a very busy shopping mall

• Exact location provided

• Other sources located throughout the city

L-058: Specific Aspects of Exercises for Response to Emergencies Arising from Malicious Acts – Exercise Scenarios

10

Deliberate Irradiation - Challenges

• Acute effects are likely

• Many, many people affected

• Need to identify exposed persons

• Media news will create panic and fear

• Will affect public behaviour

• Economic impact

• Medical infrastructure will be overwhelmed

L-058: Specific Aspects of Exercises for Response to Emergencies Arising from Malicious Acts – Exercise Scenarios

11

Deliberate Irradiation - Exercise Notes

• This scenario calls for many actions in many different areas

• Difficult to simulate large number of exposed persons

• Easy scenario to develop, complex to run• Suggested as:

• Workshop• Tabletop• Field exercise

L-058: Specific Aspects of Exercises for Response to Emergencies Arising from Malicious Acts – Exercise Scenarios

12

Deliberate Contamination of Water/Food - Example

• Truck with low to medium level waste stolen

• Truck found abandoned two days later next to water treatment plant

• Insider job: barrels emptied in main treatment basin

• No radiation detectors

• Water has been distributed for several hours

L-058: Specific Aspects of Exercises for Response to Emergencies Arising from Malicious Acts – Exercise Scenarios

13

Deliberate Contamination of Water/Food - Challenges

• Contamination level likely very low• No significant health hazard

• Public perception and fear will be the main issue

• Ensuring that other locations have not also been targeted

• Potentially large burden on medical infrastructure

• How to reassure the public?

• Replacement water?

L-058: Specific Aspects of Exercises for Response to Emergencies Arising from Malicious Acts – Exercise Scenarios

14

Deliberate Contamination of Water/Food - Exercise Notes

• Scenario best suited for tabletop• Good exercise for slow time analysis

and cooperation between technical organizations and local/regional political authorities

• Health hazard analysis will be a large component

• Use local parameters for water distribution data

L-058: Specific Aspects of Exercises for Response to Emergencies Arising from Malicious Acts – Exercise Scenarios

15

Explosive RDD - Example

• Massive explosion downtown at a major city

• Explosion appeared to originate from the sewer system

• Gas leak suspected

L-058: Specific Aspects of Exercises for Response to Emergencies Arising from Malicious Acts – Exercise Scenarios

16

Explosive RDD - Example

• In fact, it is a powerful explosive device placed in the sewer

• Explosion damages several cars• No death, but several serious injuries• First responders arrive at the scene and

realize• There is no fire• It is not a gas leak

• Electronic dosimeter alarms go off

L-058: Specific Aspects of Exercises for Response to Emergencies Arising from Malicious Acts – Exercise Scenarios

17

Example of Field Readings

L-058: Specific Aspects of Exercises for Response to Emergencies Arising from Malicious Acts – Exercise Scenarios

18

Explosive RDD - Challenges

• Same as category IV emergencies with complications

• Security and protection

• Crime-of-scene procedures

• Identification of potentially exposed persons

• Secondary threat

• Large number of responders

• Law-enforcement in charge

• Possible mass casualties

L-058: Specific Aspects of Exercises for Response to Emergencies Arising from Malicious Acts – Exercise Scenarios

19

Explosive RDD - Exercise Notes

• Best suited for field exercises or drills• First responders must have means of

detecting radiation, otherwise this exercise will not work

• Easy to adjust degree of complexity• More victims• Larger explosion• Nature of radioactive material• Secondary threat

L-058: Specific Aspects of Exercises for Response to Emergencies Arising from Malicious Acts – Exercise Scenarios

20

Deliberate Contamination - Example

• Transport truck trigger gate monitor at smelter

• Contamination found on wheels

• Survey team dispatched to retrace route

L-058: Specific Aspects of Exercises for Response to Emergencies Arising from Malicious Acts – Exercise Scenarios

21

Deliberate Contamination - Example

• Large radium spill in busiest part of the financial district

L-058: Specific Aspects of Exercises for Response to Emergencies Arising from Malicious Acts – Exercise Scenarios

22

Example of Field Data

Ra-226

2.30E-08 mSv/h / (kBq/m2)

Q 2.00E+09 kBq in Ci 54.1

R 50 m

q 254777.1 kBq/m2

d 5.86E-03 mSv/h x bgd 58.6

L-058: Specific Aspects of Exercises for Response to Emergencies Arising from Malicious Acts – Exercise Scenarios

23

Deliberate Contamination - Challenges

• In this case, probably no acute health impacts

• Tracking potentially contaminated people

• What do you tell the public?

• Possible fear and panic

• Economic consequences

• Possible overload of medical system

L-058: Specific Aspects of Exercises for Response to Emergencies Arising from Malicious Acts – Exercise Scenarios

24

Deliberate Contamination – Exercise Notes

• Best for field exercises and drills

• Also good for tabletops

• Easy to develop and conduct

• Very effective exercise

L-058: Specific Aspects of Exercises for Response to Emergencies Arising from Malicious Acts – Exercise Scenarios

25

Sabotage AgainstNuclear Facility

• Managing the off-site consequences is same as emergency consequences

• Once the sabotage has occurred, response is essentially same as for emergencies

• Existing plans and procedures should be adequate

• This type of scenario allows more flexibility than “traditional” emergencies in terms of the number and type of equipment failures

L-058: Specific Aspects of Exercises for Response to Emergencies Arising from Malicious Acts – Exercise Scenarios

26

Sabotage

• Most of the differences will be on-site• Security

• Personnel protection

• Explosive ordinance disposal

• Force protection

• Operational considerations

• Involvement of off-site organizations in on-site management

L-058: Specific Aspects of Exercises for Response to Emergencies Arising from Malicious Acts – Exercise Scenarios

27

Sabotage

• Most differences will be when the malicious act is in progress• What to do with the reactor?• Decision-making coordination between operators,

regulator, off-site security organizations and local authorities

• No decision can be taken in isolation• Should protective actions be implemented?

• Exercise these aspects in exercises for response to emergencies arising from malicious acts for sabotage

L-058: Specific Aspects of Exercises for Response to Emergencies Arising from Malicious Acts – Exercise Scenarios

28

Sabotage - Example

• Bomb threat against nuclear power station

• Security verify physical protection systems and find failure of the fence motion detector on water side

• Hole in the fence

• Tow pleasure crafts seen approaching the plant earlier

• One is still there

• Explosive traces in boat

L-058: Specific Aspects of Exercises for Response to Emergencies Arising from Malicious Acts – Exercise Scenarios

29

Sabotage - Example

• Bomb search

• Intruder may still be present

• One explosive device found on hydrogen cooling system of main generator

• Trigger mechanism may be change in vibration level

L-058: Specific Aspects of Exercises for Response to Emergencies Arising from Malicious Acts – Exercise Scenarios

30

Sabotage - Challenges

• Reactor: shut down or not?• Change in turbine speed may trigger explosion

• Is intruder still present? If so, what to do with station staff?

• What to tell the off-site authorities?• Recommend off-site protective actions or

not?• Media• On-site coordination with off-site law-

enforcement agencies

L-058: Specific Aspects of Exercises for Response to Emergencies Arising from Malicious Acts – Exercise Scenarios

31

Sabotage - Exercise Notes

• Good scenario for either tabletop or field exercise

• Focuses on on-site and interface with off-site

• If release occurs, this is same as “traditional” exercise• Therefore, most interesting before actual failure

L-058: Specific Aspects of Exercises for Response to Emergencies Arising from Malicious Acts – Exercise Scenarios

32

Summary

• Six categories of malicious acts

• Many scenarios can be developed for each

• Scenarios focus on different aspects of response management

• Multi-agency involvement is key to any exercise for response to emergencies arising from malicious acts