United States Department of Energy Radiological Emergency Response Programme - A National Capability

The United States Department of Energy (USDOE) is responsible for ensuring that the United States has sufficient energy to met its current and future demands; for describing energy demands; and for planning and implementing programmes and projects to move the country from its current state of energy management to the energy environment of the future. The USDOE is also responsible for the research, development, testing, and production of nuclear weapons for delivery to the Department of Defense. In addition, the USDOE plans, produces, transports, controls, maintains, reprocesses, and disposes of nuclear weapons and fuels which are an integral part of both the defence and civilian nuclear power production of this country. Because of these activities, USDOE must be fully prepared for any radiological emergency that may occur. In order to respond to an incident, USDOE maintains seven emergency response assets and capabilities in support of a radiological emergency of any proportion within the continental United States and abroad. The seven emergency response assets and capabilities include: Accident Response Group; Aerial Measuring Systems; Atmospheric Release Advisory Capability; Federal Radiological Monitoring and Assessment Centre; Nuclear Emergency Search Team; Radiation Emergency Assistance Centre/Training Site; and Radiological Assistance Programme. These seven assets are made up of an all-volunteer group of scientists, engineers, and other personnel, mostly from the Department's three national laboratories. These groups have access to specialised equipment designed and developed specifically to deal with the types of radiological emergencies to which USDOE might be required to respond. Presently, USDOE maintains the most comprehensive national radiological emergency response assets in the United States, capable of dealing with any type of emergency involving nuclear materials. The types of radiological emergencies to which the assets would respond include transportation accidents, malevolent nuclear terrorist activities, or accidents involving nuclear weapons and special nuclear material. In all, the Department's assets are available to support any type of accident/incident involving radioactive materials in coordination with other United States Federal agencies, as well as state and local governments, as required. They are regularly exercised through table top, local, and full scale deployment exercises, in concert with the United States military force