This six-hour course will help you build your skills and knowledge in responding to a release of air toxics. Specifically, this course will help you learn how to:
In this course you will play the role of a specialist on air toxic releases for an emergency response team in North Pointe, a small fictional city. It will be your job to determine how to handle two contaminant release scenarios. In the first scenario, you will decide what actions need to be taken to contain an accidental leak of toxic hydrogen fluoride gas. In the second, you must respond to a release of radiological materials. It will be up to you to determine how to mitigate the threat of radiation exposure to the local population.
Before beginning these scenarios, you should first acquaint yourself with the course by reading the Course Home section, including Course Description, Succeeding in this Course, Website Structure, and Course Help.
Next, you should open the Knowledge Center. Here you will find numerous downloadable articles and links to readings about various topics on air releases. While you don't have to read everything here, we do recommend that you read some of them, especially if you're less familiar with the subject matter.
When you are ready to begin work, you can start the first scenario by clicking Course Scenarios, then selecting "A: Chemical Release".
One or more expert mentors will be available should you have any questions as you work through each scenario. A mentor will also review your work in the scenarios and give you feedback on it.
Good luck!
Go to Course Description
The APRIL course is divided into two scenarios. Scenario A is about a chemical release and Scenario B is about a radiological release. Each scenario is intended to take about 3 hours to complete. One or more expert mentors will be available to guide you through the course.
The basic structure of both scenarios is similar. Each is composed of a sequence of tasks (4 in Scenario A and 6 in Scenario B). In each scenario you will complete two or more cycles of reading and interpreting a predictive plot, deciding what actions to take to protect the public, and answering press questions. Each scenario concludes with a reflection activity to help you (and your teammates) think about and discuss the key learnings from that scenario: what went well, what could have gone better, how you will apply what you’ve learned, etc. You will also have the opportunity to ask your mentor(s) any additional questions you may have.
You (and your team, if applicable) will work through each task in order. These tasks will exercise your ability to make informed decisions about how to handle emergencies involving the release of dangerous chemical and radiological agents into the atmosphere. Each task includes one or more documents you will need to produce. When you’ve completed all the documents for a task, you should submit your work to your mentor, then proceed to the next task as directed by your mentor.
Your mentor will review your documents and provide detailed feedback - either in written format or verbal format. To get the most out of this course, you should carefully review the feedback you receive and use the opportunity to ask questions of your mentor to help you better understand the material.
Go to Succeeding in this Course
A Different Kind of Learning Experience
This course may be a bit different than other training courses you may have taken. As the name of the course implies, this course stresses interactive learning - that is, learning by doing. You (and your team) will play a key role in realistic scenarios that require you to actively analyze information, make decisions, and draft documents (also called 'deliverables'). Your primary form of feedback will come from expert mentors who will review your deliverables and provide you with detailed comments and suggestions. The experts are there to act as coaches and mentors whose job it is to help you learn as you create the highest quality deliverables you can - not to act as lecturers.
The more you put into this course, the more you will get out of it. To get the most out of this course, take advantage of the availability of the expert mentors by working hard on your deliverables - the more you put into the deliverables, the more the mentors will have to respond to. Don't worry about making mistakes - in fact, in this course mistakes are viewed as opportunities for feedback and learning. Someone who can get through this course without making any mistakes probably didn't need to take the course in the first place!
Some Tips for Success
Here are a few tips to help you to succeed in this course:
Manage Your Time
Because this is a very short course, how you manage your time will be essential to your success. You shouldn’t feel like you need to rush, but keep in mind that you will only have about 20-30 minutes to complete each task. So budget your time accordingly. Remember, working under time pressure is a realistic part of responding to an air toxic release.Ask Questions
Your Mentor is there to help you and is an expert on the subject matter. While you should try to find your answers if possible, don't hesitate to ask him/her questions as they arise, especially if you get stuck.Use Your Resources
Much of your success in the scenarios will depend on how well you use the resources available to you. They provide an invaluable source of information about the scenario. Familiarity with them will vastly improve your ability to make effective decisions. If you have time, you should also feel free to do your own research on the Internet.Be Open to Feedback
It’s imperative that you approach this course with an open mind. Feedback from teammates, classmates, and/or your mentor should be perceived not as criticism, but as opportunities to learn, improve, and grow.Manage Your Team
Because time is tight, it’s imperative that everyone on the team has a role with clearly defined responsibilities. Since you won't initially know the full extent of your team's capabilities, negotiate the initial scope of work for each member carefully (i.e., what concrete piece(s) of the task he or she is responsible for). If problems emerge, surface them as soon as possible so that you can negotiate them within your team and complete your task on schedule.
Go to Website Structure
Course Home
This section contains four sub-sections: Course Description, Succeeding in This Course, Website Structure (which you're reading now), and Getting Help. These pages will help you understand both the course material and this website, offering explanations about the basic structure of each, as well as advice about how to succeed in this course. While it isn’t required, we do recommend that you read these sections before beginning the Course Scenarios section.
Course Scenarios
Clicking here will open the two scenarios that make up this course. You should begin with A: Chemical Release and work through the tasks in order. To begin a scenario, click on it, read the overview, then click on “Task 1”. This will open the task's Project Requirements section, which contains an e-mail from your fictional boss (and/or colleagues) describing the release situation you are currently facing and what your role is in handling it. Many of these e-mails will have attachments containing important information you will need to complete the task, so make sure you open and read any attached documents as well.
Next to the Project Requirements tab, you will notice several other tabs: Getting Help, Submitting Your Work, and Reflecting on What You Learned. These tabs offer specific help and advice about how to complete each task, directions for how to submit your work to your mentor, and some questions about the task to think about after you’ve completed it. More information about these tabs is located in the Course Scenarios section.
Printing Tip: In this course, many of the e-mails have predictive plots (maps) attached to them. If you wish to print these maps out, use the following tips for best results. After opening the map (it will appear in a new browser window), you should open "Page Setup" and select "Landscape" orientation. Then set the margins as small as they will go for your printer (try 0.25 inches for each margin). After making these changes, click OK and proceed to print the map.
Knowledge Center
The Knowledge Center contains numerous links and readings about the course subject matter. Before you begin the scenarios, you may want to do some background research by reading the documents collected here.
Go to Course Help
To get specific help about…
The Course Subject Matter
The first place to look for subject-matter help is in the Getting Help tab at
the top of the task page. It includes a Step-by-Step Guide that
offers detailed instructions on the requirements of each task and a Resources
& References section with links to specific readings about the
task you're working on. You can find additional links and resources about more
general course subjects in the Knowledge Center (look for the
link at the bottom of the left-hand column).
Go to Course Scenarios
Depending on how the course is organized, you may find it helpful to print out portions of the course materials (like certain maps or documents) or the entire course (for use in a binder, for example). You may also wish to download an entire copy of this website to your computer for use offline. This page provides some tips and resources to help you with printing and downloading this site.
Printing
Many pages on this website have special features to facilitate printing.
Look for a "Printable version" link in the upper right hand corner
of the page. Clicking this link will open a new window with a version of the
page that is formatted specially for ease of printing. You can then use the
Print command to print out that page.
In this course, many of the emails have predictive plots (maps) attached to them. If you wish to print these maps out, use the following tips for best results. After opening the map (it will appear in a new browser window), you should open "Page Setup" and select "Landscape" orientation. Then set the margins as small as they will go for your printer (try 0.25 inches for each margin). After making these changes, click OK and proceed to print the map.
If you wish to generate a hardcopy of the entire course, you can view a printable version of the full course. Clicking this link will open a new window that is formatted especially for printing. Note that this printable version does NOT include any of the attachments to the task emails, nor any of the readings.
Downloading This Website
If you wish to download this entire site to your computer so you can access
it offline, please follow the steps below.
If you are not familiar with working with ZIP archives, you may wish to ask your local techincal support for assistance.
The course is comprised of two scenarios, A: Chemical Release
and B: Radiological Release. Within each scenario are a set
of tasks that you will work through to complete the scenario. Scenario A contains
4 tasks and a reflection activity. Scenario B contains 6 tasks and a final reflection
activity. The tasks in each scenario should be completed in order, so begin
by clicking "Task 1."
Clicking on Task 1 takes you to the Project
Requirements tab, which contains an email from your boss, Maria Vazquez,
describing your task. In some tasks you may also see emails from additional
colleagues. Once you've read the email(s), you can access more detailed instructions
in the Getting Help section. Here you
will find:
Once you've completed a task and reviewed your work, submit it by following the instructions in the Submitting Your Work section.
After you've submitted your work for the task, you should read the questions in the Reflecting on what you learned tab and discuss them with the other members of your team. Please wait for your mentor's OK before proceeding to the next task.
When you are ready to begin a scenario, click on its name on the left.
Your Role:
You (and your teammates, if applicable) will play the role of Special Consultants
on Air Toxic Release in the Department of Emergency Services in North Pointe,
a small fictional town. In this scenario, you will be responsible for determining
how to handle an accidental chemical release within the city by recommending
the most effective responses to your boss, the Director of Emergency Services.
Your Co-Workers:
Maria Vazquez, Director of Emergency Services
Grady Jones, Chief of Incident Response
James Lipscomb, Press Secretary for the Mayor of North Pointe
Length of Scenario:
This scenario is organized into 4 tasks plus a reflection activity (which you can access from the left side of the screen). The scenario is intended to take around 3 hours to complete. While some tasks may take you longer to complete than others, it is up to you to complete the scenario on time, so make sure you manage your time as you work through the tasks.
When you're ready to begin, click "Task 1" and read the emails in
your Inbox.
Select a message by clicking on it below:
| From | Subject | ||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Maria Vazquez | Hydrogen Flouride Leak at Chemical Plant | |
|
|
Grady Jones | update from site | |
Thank you for making it down to the emergency response center so quickly. We got a call about 20 minutes ago… a construction accident has damaged a tank at the chemical plant on Delaware St. by the river. So far the tank is holding, but the people on the site believe that the tank damage is extensive enough that it won't hold forever. While the plant manager works to find a solution, we need to prepare for the possibility of a potentially-hazardous release of hydrogen fluoride at any time. Current best estimate is that we have about 2-3 hours to minimize the potential harm to people in the area before the tank fails.
Here’s what we’ve done to this point:
We need to make some critical decisions about how to handle this situation. I need you to interpret the predictive plots and give me your best advice about what we should do. I have attached the Action Plan template we use in these situations - I need you to complete it as best you can and send me your recommendations. I've also attached a checklist that may be helpful in evaluating the plots you receive.
In order for me to understand how you came to your conclusions, and in order to explain our response to Mayor Sheldon, it’s critical that you also include a justification that backs up each of your recommendations.
I look forward to seeing your plan ASAP.
Maria
Maria Vazquez
Director of Emergency Services, North Pointe
Select a message by clicking on it below:
| From | Subject | ||
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Maria Vazquez | Hydrogen Flouride Leak at Chemical Plant | |
|
|
Grady Jones | update from site | |
Maria told me you’ll be helping out with air release events. Glad to have your support in the use of plume models.
Here is a quick update on where we
are:
- We arrived at the plant approximately
8 mins after receiving the call
- The tank has been seriously damaged and it can not be fixed. Technicians from
the plant estimate that if the tank ruptures, approx. 2,000 lbs of hydrogen
fluoride will be released for about 20 minutes until the pressure equalizes
and the tank empties.
- The tank is outside about 100 yards away from the fence line on the eastern
side of the plant.
- No other chemicals are near the hydrogen fluoride tank or likely to be affected
if the tank fails.
- We evacuated everyone within a 250 yard radius of the plant.
- Emergency response personnel on site are setting up a water spray curtain
to limit the spread of the release. This will take time to become operational.
- We are following our local Emergency Response Plan (ERP) and using the ERP
address book to call State and Federal experts where we need specialized expertise.
Attached to this email is a NOAA ALOHA plot I made soon after I arrived on site.
I used the weather data from the airport as input. The airport is about 8 miles
from the plant, but it's the best data I had available at the time.
I've also attached some population
density maps we use in these situations to estimate the impact on local residents.
GJ
Grady Jones
Chief of Incident Response Team
North Pointe
Please follow the steps below to complete this task:
a. Right-click on the "Action Plan" link in the email and select "Save target as..."
b. Save the document on the desktop or in a folder that you can easily access.
Tips:
Traps:
Required Resource:
You will need the following resource to complete this task:
Recommended Readings & Resources:
While not required to finish the task, reviewing the following readings will help you to complete the task and improve the quality of your work.
Hydrogen Fluoride Information
Plume Modeling Information
ALOHA (Areal Locations of Hazardous Atmospheres) is an atmospheric dispersion model used for evaluating releases of hazardous chemical vapors. ALOHA estimates the downwind dispersion of a chemical cloud based on the characteristics of the released chemical, atmospheric conditions, and specific circumstances of the release. Graphical outputs include a "cloud footprint" that can be plotted on maps to display the location of other facilities storing hazardous materials and vulnerable locations, such as hospitals and schools.
Optional Reading & Resources
If you have additional time, you may also want to review the links below. While not essential to the task, they offer some valuable additional information about Hydrogen Fluoride and topics related to toxic releases.
When you are satisfied with your work on this task, you should submit it to your mentor for review following the instructions below.
For this task, please submit your completed Action Plan.
Naming Your Document
When saving this document, you will need to give it a distinct name that identifies the author and the task. This is to help the mentor keep track of your document and to make it easier for you to review your work on this Action Plan later on in the course.
Please use the following naming conventions when saving your documents:
If you are working on this course in a team, use the format:
Scenario#Task#_DocName_TeamName.doc
If you are working on this course individually use the format:
Scenario#Task#_DocName_YourInitials.doc
Here are examples:
Team A just completed their Action Plan for Scenario A Task 1. The document name should appear as:
A1_ActionPlan_TeamA.doc
If Kevin Smith was working individually on the course, he would name his Action Plan for Scenario A Task 1:
A1_ActionPlan_KS.doc
Submitting Your Document
How you should submit your work depends on how you are taking this course...
If you are taking this course in a live classroom, you should print out your work and give it to your mentor, or follow the specific instructions s/he gives you.
If you are taking this course remotely, submit your work by clicking here. This will open an e-mail addressed to your mentor that you can attach your document to.
Reflect on what you’ve learned in this task by answering the following questions:
| From | Subject | ||
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
James Lipscomb | Questions re: Hydrogen Flouride Emergency | |
I just got word of the hydrogen fluoride tank accident at the chemical plant. We’re getting swamped with calls from citizens worried about the consequences of the tank rupturing.
The first thing we need to do is create a coherent message to give the public in response to their calls. It’s imperative that we separate fact from fiction. I don’t want to overly alarm the residents of North Pointe, but I also don’t want to misrepresent the potential seriousness of the incident.
I just talked with Maria and she forwarded me your Action Plan which I just looked over. I need to prepare to answer questions from the press and public and want to make sure that what we say is consistent with the initial actions we're taking. I've attached a document with some questions about your Action Plan. If you could get back to me with your responses, I'll use them to craft our public message.
Keep in mind that while the public wants straight and honest answers about the risks involved, a lot of technical jargon will probably only confuse them more.
I appreciate your assistance on this.
Jim
James Lipscomb
Press Secretary
Office of Mayor Kirby Sheldon
Please follow the steps below to complete this task:
a. Right-click on the "Questions" link in the email and select "Save target as..."
b. Save the document on the desktop or in a folder that you can easily access. The Submit Your Work tab contains specific instructions on what to name this file when you save it so be sure to check out that information.
Required Resource:
You will need the following resource to complete Task 2.
Recommended Readings & Resources:
While not required to finish the task, reviewing the following readings will help you to complete the task and improve the quality of your work.
Hydrogen Fluoride Information
Plume Modeling Information
ALOHA (Areal Locations of Hazardous Atmospheres) is an atmospheric dispersion model used for evaluating releases of hazardous chemical vapors. ALOHA estimates the downwind dispersion of a chemical cloud based on the characteristics of the released chemical, atmospheric conditions, and specific circumstances of the release. Graphical outputs include a "cloud footprint" that can be plotted on maps to display the location of other facilities storing hazardous materials and vulnerable locations, such as hospitals and schools.
Optional Reading & Resources
If you have additional time, you may also want to review the links below. While not essential to the task, they offer some valuable additional information about Hydrogen Fluoride and topics related to toxic releases.
When you are satisfied with your work on this task, you should submit it to your mentor for review following the instructions below.
For this task, please submit the Questions document with your responses to Lipscomb's questions.
Naming Your Document
Please use the following naming conventions when saving your documents:
If you are working on this course in a team, use the format:
A2_Questions_TeamName.doc (replacing TeamName with your team's name)
If you are working on this course individually use the format:
A2_Questons_YourInitials.doc
Here are examples:
Team A just completed the Questions document for this task. The document name should appear as:
A2_Questions_TeamA.doc
If Kevin Smith was working individually on the course, he would name his document:
A2_Questions_KS.doc
Submitting Your Document
How you should submit your work depends on how you are taking this course...
If you are taking this course in a live classroom, you should print out your work and give it to your mentor, or follow the specific instructions s/he gives you.
If you are taking this course remotely, submit your work by clicking here. This will open an e-mail addressed to your mentor that you can attach your document to.
Reflect on what you’ve learned in this task by answering the following questions:
| From | Subject | ||
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Maria Vazquez | NARAC Plot for hydro fl release | |
Fortunately the tank is still holding.
I just received the NARAC plot of the release based on the data I sent them earlier (see attached). You'll notice that the NARAC plot is different from the NOAA-ALOHA plot and has some additional features — it takes into account local topographical features and uses data from a variety of local weather stations. This should help you better assess the behavior of the plume if a release were to occur within the next 4 hours.
I also received a map from NARAC that I've attached showing the locations of the weather stations used in their model.
Now that we've got the NARAC plot in hand, I'd like you to review it and let me know if the original action plan you sent me needs to be revised. If it does, the mayor is going to want to know why we are changing our earlier decisions, so make sure you include the reasons for any revisions.
Send me your revised Action Plan as soon as you've completed it.
Maria
Maria Vazquez
Director of Emergency Services, North Pointe
Please follow the steps below to complete this task:
Required Resource:
You will need the following resources to complete Task 3.
Recommended Readings & Resources:
While not required to finish the task, reviewing the following readings will help you to complete the task and improve the quality of your work.
Optional Reading & Resources
If you have additional time, you may also want to review the links below. While not essential to the task, they offer some valuable additional information about topics related to toxic releases.
When you are satisfied with your work on this task, you should submit it to your mentor for review. You'll do that here.
For this task, please submit the following before moving on to the next task:
Your new Action Plan, revised to reflect the NARAC plots.
When saving the two documents above, you will need to give them two distinct tags that identify the author and the task. Please use the following naming convention when saving your documents:
Scenario#Task#_DocName_YourInitials.doc
Here's an example:
Kevin Smith just completed his Action Plan for Scenario A Task 1. The document name should appear as:
A1_ActionPlan_KS.doc
How you should submit your work depends on how you are taking this course...
If you are taking this course in a live classroom, you should print out your work and give it to your mentor, or follow the specific instructions s/he gives you.
If you are taking this course on the internet, submit your work by clicking here. This will open an e-mail that goes directly to your e-mentor.
Reflect on what you’ve learned in this task by answering the following questions:
| From | Subject | ||
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
James Lipscomb | More Questions re: Hydrogen Flouride Emergency | |
I just got out of a meeting with Maria and Mayor Kirby. Maria informed us that your work today has been invaluable in protecting the safety of North Pointe's residents. We are now much better prepared for a chemical release if the tank should rupture.
I'm going to need to disseminate another statement about the situation to the public as well as to the local media. I have a few questions about the changes you made to the Action Plan which I've attached.
I'd appreciate your prompt response to them.
Jim
James Lipscomb
Press Secretary
Office of Mayor Kirby Sheldon
Please follow the steps below to complete this task:
a. Right-click on the "Questions" link in the email and select "Save target as..."
b. Save the document on the desktop or in a folder that you can easily access. The Submit Your Work tab contains specific instructions on what to name this file when you save it so be sure to check out that information.
Required Resource:
You will need the following resource to complete Task 4.
Recommended Readings & Resources:
While not required to finish the task, reviewing the following readings will help you to complete the task and improve the quality of your work.
Optional Reading & Resources
If you have additional time, you may also want to review the links below. While not essential to the task, they offer some valuable additional information about topics related to toxic releases.
When you are satisfied with your work on this task, you should submit it to your mentor for review following the instructions below.
For this task, please submit the Questions document with your responses to Lipscomb's second set of questions.
Naming Your Document
Please use the following naming conventions when saving your documents:
If you are working on this course in a team, use the format:
A4_Questions_TeamName.doc (replacing TeamName with your team's name)
If you are working on this course individually use the format:
A4_Questons_YourInitials.doc
Here are examples:
Team A just completed the Questions document for this task. The document name should appear as:
A4_Questions_TeamA.doc
If Kevin Smith was working individually on the course, he would name his document:
A4_Questions_KS.doc
Submitting Your Document
How you should submit your work depends on how you are taking this course...
If you are taking this course in a live classroom, you should print out your work and give it to your mentor, or follow the specific instructions s/he gives you.
If you are taking this course remotely, submit your work by clicking here. This will open an e-mail addressed to your mentor that you can attach your document to.
Reflect on what you’ve learned in this task by answering the following questions:
Epilogue
At 8:30 pm the tank finally burst and approximately 2,750lbs of hydrogen fluoride was released over 20 minutes. By the time of the release, emergency responders had installed a water spray curtain and this helped control the vapor plume. The wind at the time of the release had shifted to the WNW at 6-7 mph.
There were no fatalities. One hospital reported approximately 50 people admitted for minor skin irritation and respiratory complaints. People returned to their homes at approximately 10 pm. Schools were open the next day.
Reflection and Debrief
The following plots incorporate the current meteorological data at the time of release (8:30pm). Before beginning the reflection and debrief activity, take a moment to review these plots and compare them to the information you used to make your decisions in this scenario.
Once you have reviewed the above plots, please read the following questions and discuss them with your mentor and/or the other members of your team.
Your Role:
You (and your teammates, if applicable) will play the role of Special Consultants
on Air Toxic Release in the Department of Emergency Services in North Pointe,
a small fictional town. In this scenario, you will be responsible for determining
how to handle a major radiological event within the city by recommending the
most effective responses to your boss, the Director of Emergency Services.
Your Co-Workers:
Maria Vazquez, Director of Emergency Services
Grady Jones, Chief of Incident Response
James Lipscomb, Press Secretary for the Mayor of North Pointe
Length of Scenario
You have 3 hours to complete the entire scenario. As you can see, it is organized into 6 tasks plus a final reflection activity. While some tasks may take you longer to complete than others, it is up to you to complete the scenario on time, so make sure you manage your time as you work through the tasks.
When you're ready to begin, click "Task 1" and read the emails in
your Inbox.
Select a message by clicking on it below:
| From | Subject | ||
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Maria Vazquez | Dirty Bomb Explosion | |
|
|
Grady Jones | plume model from site of explosion | |
Approximately 5 mins ago, at 9:45am, there was a large explosion on northbound I-676 near the Atlantic Ave. exit. Preliminary reports indicate that a truck exploded. The explosion was severe…eyewitness accounts have described a deafening blast followed by a large black plume.
Because of the size and suspicious nature of the explosion, the first responders on the scene turned on their radiation meters just as a precaution. Lucky they did because they detected radiation. We now suspect that this might be a case of dirty bomb that exploded prematurely - perhaps it was headed across the river into downtown.
Grady has been dispatched to the site and I’ve asked him to email you with details as soon as he has them. Ambulances and emergency medical personnel have also been dispatched to the site to handle initial casualties--at least it wasn’t rush hour thank goodness.
After we hear from Grady, I need you to send me an Action Plan for our initial emergency response. We’re going to need to make some hard decisions here and Mayor Sheldon will expect clear, fact-based recommendations, so please include specific justifications for each recommendation.
Maria
Maria Vazquez
Director of Emergency Services, North Pointe
Select a message by clicking on it below:
| From | Subject | ||
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Maria Vazquez | Dirty Bomb Explosion | |
|
|
Grady Jones | plume model from site of explosion | |
The team arrived at the site 12 mins ago. Here’s where we are:
-
GJ
Grady Jones
Chief of Incident Response Team
Please follow the steps below to complete this task:
Required Resource:
After viewing the HOTSPOT plot of the release, you should evaluate it using the Plume Model Checklist. To open the Checklist, click the link below.
Basic Radiation Information:
Definition of Radiation Terms (excerpted from FRMAC Assessment Manual)
Radiation and Risk - The Health Physics Society at the University of Michigan provides this informative and easy to read summary of the effects of radiation, the risks from exposure, and a risk comparison explaining how much radiation exposure increases the chance of cancer death over a lifetime. The following sections may be particularly helpful:
Annual estimated average effective dose equivalent for an individual in the US and an easy to read graph of the same information
Radiation: Risks and Realities. A short summary of radiation risks and realities from the EPA, including natural and man-made radiation, as well as radiation emergencies.
Understanding Radiation. EPA's extensive resource for understanding radiation. The following sections may be most immediately helpful:
Recommended Readings & Resources:
While not required to finish the task, reviewing the following readings will help you to complete the task and improve the quality of your work.
Optional Reading & Resources
If you have additional time, you may also want to review the links below. While not essential to the task, they offer some valuable additional information about topics related to radiological releases.
When you are satisfied with your work on this task, you should submit it to your mentor for review following the instructions below.
For this task, please submit your Action Plan document.
Naming Your Document
Please use the following naming conventions when saving your documents:
If you are working on this course in a team, use the format:
B1_ActionPlan_TeamName.doc (replacing TeamName with your team's name)
If you are working on this course individually use the format:
B1_ActionPlan_YourInitials.doc
Here are examples:
Team A just completed the Action Plan document for this task. The document name should appear as:
B1_ActionPlan_TeamA.doc
If Kevin Smith was working individually on the course, he would name his document:
B1_ActionPlan_KS.doc
Submitting Your Document
How you should submit your work depends on how you are taking this course...
If you are taking this course in a live classroom, you should print out your work and give it to your mentor, or follow the specific instructions s/he gives you.
If you are taking this course remotely, submit your work by clicking here. This will open an e-mail addressed to your mentor that you can attach your document to.
Reflect on what you’ve learned in this task by answering the following questions:
| From | Subject | ||
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Maria Vazquez | Questions for Press Conference | |
Mayor Sheldon has scheduled a press conference for an hour from now. I need to draft the statement he’s going to give and prepare him for the media questions to follow. Maria sent me your Action Plan which I just read. I’ve prepared a list of questions based on that and what I think the press will ask Mayor Sheldon.
I'm awaiting your response.
Jim
James Lipscomb
Press Secretary
Office of Mayor Kirby Sheldon
Please follow the steps below to complete this task:
a. Right-click on the "Questions" link in the email and select "Save target as..."
b. Save the document on the desktop or in a folder that you can easily access. The Submit Your Work tab contains specific instructions on what to name this file when you save it so be sure to check out that information.
Required Resource:
You will need the following resource to complete Task 2.
Basic Radiation Information:
Radiation and Risk - The Health Physics Society at the University of Michigan provides this informative and easy to read summary of the effects of radiation, the risks from exposure, and a risk comparison explaining how much radiation exposure increases the chance of cancer death over a lifetime. The following sections may be particularly helpful:
Annual estimated average effective dose equivalent for an individual in the US and an easy to read graph of the same information
Radiation: Risks and Realities. A short summary of radiation risks and realities from the EPA, including natural and man-made radiation, as well as radiation emergencies.
Understanding Radiation. EPA's extensive resource for understanding radiation. The following sections may be most immediately helpful:
Recommended Readings & Resources:
While not required to finish the task, reviewing the following readings will help you to complete the task and improve the quality of your work.
Optional Reading & Resources
If you have additional time, you may also want to review the links below. While not essential to the task, they offer some valuable additional information about topics related to toxic releases.
When you are satisfied with your work on this task, you should submit it to your mentor for review following the instructions below.
For this task, please submit the Questions document with your responses to Lipscomb's questions.
Naming Your Document
Please use the following naming conventions when saving your documents:
If you are working on this course in a team, use the format:
B2_Questions_TeamName.doc (replacing TeamName with your team's name)
If you are working on this course individually use the format:
B2_Questons_YourInitials.doc
Here are examples:
Team A just completed the Questions document for this task. The document name should appear as:
B2_Questions_TeamA.doc
If Kevin Smith was working individually on the course, he would name his document:
B2_Questions_KS.doc
Submitting Your Document
How you should submit your work depends on how you are taking this course...
If you are taking this course in a live classroom, you should print out your work and give it to your mentor, or follow the specific instructions s/he gives you.
If you are taking this course remotely, submit your work by clicking here. This will open an e-mail addressed to your mentor that you can attach your document to.
Reflect on what you’ve learned in this task by answering the following questions:
| From | Subject | ||
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Maria Vazquez | NARAC predictive plots have arrived! | |
Just got the predictive plots and reports from NARAC (see attached). Please review them carefully and send me any revisions to the Action Plan that are needed based on your analysis. Hopefully the added detail of the NARAC products will allow us to fine tune our decisions.
I also received a number of other maps from NARAC that I've attached, including locations of the weather stations and a map of the winds used in the model. You might find them helpful.
I’m still waiting to hear from Grady on the field measurements but expect to receive them anytime now. When I get them, I will forward them to NARAC so they can incorporate them into their model and send us an updated plot. I’ll send that to you as soon as I get it.
Maria
Maria Vazquez
Director of Emergency Services, North Pointe
Please follow the steps below to complete this task:
Required Resource:
You will need the following resources to complete Task 3.
Basic Radiation Information:
Definition of Radiation Terms (excerpted from FRMAC Assessment Manual)
Radiation and Risk - The Health Physics Society at the University of Michigan provides this informative and easy to read summary of the effects of radiation, the risks from exposure, and a risk comparison explaining how much radiation exposure increases the chance of cancer death over a lifetime. The following sections may be particularly helpful:
Annual estimated average effective dose equivalent for an individual in the US and an easy to read graph of the same information
Radiation: Risks and Realities. A short summary of radiation risks and realities from the EPA, including natural and man-made radiation, as well as radiation emergencies.
Understanding Radiation. EPA's extensive resource for understanding radiation. The following sections may be most immediately helpful:
Recommended Readings & Resources:
While not required to finish the task, reviewing the following readings will help you to complete the task and improve the quality of your work.
Optional Reading & Resources
If you have additional time, you may also want to review the links below. While not essential to the task, they offer some valuable additional information about topics related to toxic releases.
When you are satisfied with your work on this task, you should submit it to your mentor for review following the instructions below.
For this task, please submit your revised Action Plan document.
Naming Your Document
Please use the following naming conventions when saving your documents:
If you are working on this course in a team, use the format:
B3_ActionPlan_TeamName.doc (replacing TeamName with your team's name)
If you are working on this course individually use the format:
B3_ActionPlan_YourInitials.doc
Here are examples:
Team A just completed the Action Plan document for this task. The document name should appear as:
B3_ActionPlan_TeamA.doc
If Kevin Smith was working individually on the course, he would name his document:
B3_ActionPlan_KS.doc
Submitting Your Document
How you should submit your work depends on how you are taking this course...
If you are taking this course in a live classroom, you should print out your work and give it to your mentor, or follow the specific instructions s/he gives you.
If you are taking this course remotely, submit your work by clicking here. This will open an e-mail addressed to your mentor that you can attach your document to.
Reflect on what you’ve learned in this task by answering the following questions:
| From | Subject | ||
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
James Lipscomb | re: Questions for Press Conference | |
Maria just informed me that you’ve revised your Action Plan. The mayor’s press conference just concluded. I’ve attached some more questions about the changes…please answer them as soon as you can so I can apprise the Mayor of the status of the situation.
Jim
James Lipscomb
Press Secretary
Office of Mayor Kirby Sheldon
Please follow the steps below to complete this task:
a. Right-click on the "Questions" link in the email and select "Save target as..."
b. Save the document on the desktop or in a folder that you can easily access. The Submit Your Work tab contains specific instructions on what to name this file when you save it so be sure to check out that information.
Required Resource:
You will need the following resource to complete Task 4.
Basic Radiation Information:
Radiation and Risk - The Health Physics Society at the University of Michigan provides this informative and easy to read summary of the effects of radiation, the risks from exposure, and a risk comparison explaining how much radiation exposure increases the chance of cancer death over a lifetime. The following sections may be particularly helpful:
Annual estimated average effective dose equivalent for an individual in the US and an easy to read graph of the same information
Radiation: Risks and Realities. A short summary of radiation risks and realities from the EPA, including natural and man-made radiation, as well as radiation emergencies.
Understanding Radiation. EPA's extensive resource for understanding radiation. The following sections may be most immediately helpful:
Recommended Readings & Resources:
While not required to finish the task, reviewing the following readings will help you to complete the task and improve the quality of your work.
Optional Reading & Resources
If you have additional time, you may also want to review the links below. While not essential to the task, they offer some valuable additional information about topics related to toxic releases.
When you are satisfied with your work on this task, you should submit it to your mentor for review following the instructions below.
For this task, please submit the Questions document with your responses to Lipscomb's questions.
Naming Your Document
Please use the following naming conventions when saving your documents:
If you are working on this course in a team, use the format:
B4_Questions_TeamName.doc (replacing TeamName with your team's name)
If you are working on this course individually use the format:
B4_Questons_YourInitials.doc
Here are examples:
Team A just completed the Questions document for this task. The document name should appear as:
B4_Questions_TeamA.doc
If Kevin Smith was working individually on the course, he would name his document:
B4_Questions_KS.doc
Submitting Your Document
How you should submit your work depends on how you are taking this course...
If you are taking this course in a live classroom, you should print out your work and give it to your mentor, or follow the specific instructions s/he gives you.
If you are taking this course remotely, submit your work by clicking here. This will open an e-mail addressed to your mentor that you can attach your document to.
Reflect on what you’ve learned in this task by answering the following questions:
| From | Subject | ||
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Maria Vazquez | Urgent! Revised NARAC plot with field measurements is back | |
I'm afraid I've got some bad news from the field measurement teams. Earlier, Grady sent me the email below - based on the results of the field measurements it now appears that we significantly underestimated the amounts of both the explosive and radiological materials in the bomb.
I immediately sent the field measurments to NARAC for them to incorporate into their model and have just received an updated set of predictive plots. You'll find them attached to this email.
Obviously this could seriously impact the decisions we've made so far, although I'm not sure exactly how. I need you to take a look at these new plots and revise your Action Plan again if necessary. I’m going to debrief the mayor on the latest status of our efforts and would like to present any changes to our current action plan so get that to me as soon as you can.
Maria
Maria Vazquez
Director of Emergency Services, North Pointe
At 12:18 Grady Jones wrote:
> To: Maria Vazquez
> From: Grady Jones
> Subject: field measurements from site
>
> I just reviewed the field measurements with the head of the
> hazmat team. the bomb was
worse than we originally estimated:
>
> -explosion was equivalent to approx. 3000 lbs of tnt—our initial
> projection was 2000 lbs
>
> -based on their readings, they now estiamte that the bomb
> contained 500 Ci of
cesium, not 100 Ci per our original estimate
>
> GJ
| From | Subject | ||
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Maria Vazquez | Urgent! Revised NARAC plot with field measurements is back | |
Here are the field readings from Grady. - Maria
Maria Vazquez
Director of Emergency Services, North Pointe
At 12:18 Grady Jones wrote:
>To: Maria Vazquez
>
From: Grady Jones
>
Subject: field data from site
>
>
just got the field data from the radiological squad. looks worse than we originally
projected:
>
>
-explosion contained approx. 3000 lbs of tnt equivalent—our initial projection
was 2000
>
-the bomb contained 500ci of cesium, not 100 per our original estimate
>
>
GJ
Please follow the steps below to complete this task:
Required Resource:
You will need the following resources to complete Task 5.
Basic Radiation Information:
Definition of Radiation Terms (excerpted from FRMAC Assessment Manual)
Radiation and Risk - The Health Physics Society at the University of Michigan provides this informative and easy to read summary of the effects of radiation, the risks from exposure, and a risk comparison explaining how much radiation exposure increases the chance of cancer death over a lifetime. The following sections may be particularly helpful:
Annual estimated average effective dose equivalent for an individual in the US and an easy to read graph of the same information
Radiation: Risks and Realities. A short summary of radiation risks and realities from the EPA, including natural and man-made radiation, as well as radiation emergencies.
Understanding Radiation. EPA's extensive resource for understanding radiation. The following sections may be most immediately helpful:
Recommended Readings & Resources:
While not required to finish the task, reviewing the following readings will help you to complete the task and improve the quality of your work.
Optional Reading & Resources
If you have additional time, you may also want to review the links below. While not essential to the task, they offer some valuable additional information about topics related to toxic releases.
When you are satisfied with your work on this task, you should submit it to your mentor for review following the instructions below.
For this task, please submit your revised Action Plan document.
Naming Your Document
Please use the following naming conventions when saving your documents:
If you are working on this course in a team, use the format:
B5_ActionPlan_TeamName.doc (replacing TeamName with your team's name)
If you are working on this course individually use the format:
B5_ActionPlan_YourInitials.doc
Here are examples:
Team A just completed the Action Plan document for this task. The document name should appear as:
B5_ActionPlan_TeamA.doc
If Kevin Smith was working individually on the course, he would name his document:
B5_ActionPlan_KS.doc
Submitting Your Document
How you should submit your work depends on how you are taking this course...
If you are taking this course in a live classroom, you should print out your work and give it to your mentor, or follow the specific instructions s/he gives you.
If you are taking this course remotely, submit your work by clicking here. This will open an e-mail addressed to your mentor that you can attach your document to.
Reflect on what you’ve learned in this task by answering the following questions:
| From | Subject | ||
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Maria Vazquez | re:re: Questions for Press Conference | |
The mayor has scheduled another press conference. We’re going to inform the public that we underestimated the size of the bomb and we’re going to have to field some tough questions from the press corps. I’ve anticipated these questions as best as I could and have attached them to this email. Please answer them and send them back to me so I can prepare Mayor Sheldon.
Jim
James Lipscomb
Press Secretary
Office of Mayor Kirby Sheldon
Please follow the steps below to complete this task:
a. Right-click on the "Questions" link in the email and select "Save target as..."
b. Save the document on the desktop or in a folder that you can easily access. The Submit Your Work tab contains specific instructions on what to name this file when you save it so be sure to check out that information.
Required Resource:
You will need the following resource to complete Task 6.
Basic Radiation Information:
Radiation and Risk - The Health Physics Society at the University of Michigan provides this informative and easy to read summary of the effects of radiation, the risks from exposure, and a risk comparison explaining how much radiation exposure increases the chance of cancer death over a lifetime. The following sections may be particularly helpful:
Annual estimated average effective dose equivalent for an individual in the US and an easy to read graph of the same information
Radiation: Risks and Realities. A short summary of radiation risks and realities from the EPA, including natural and man-made radiation, as well as radiation emergencies.
Understanding Radiation. EPA's extensive resource for understanding radiation. The following sections may be most immediately helpful:
Recommended Readings & Resources:
While not required to finish the task, reviewing the following readings will help you to complete the task and improve the quality of your work.
Optional Reading & Resources
If you have additional time, you may also want to review the links below. While not essential to the task, they offer some valuable additional information about topics related to toxic releases.
When you are satisfied with your work on this task, you should submit it to your mentor for review following the instructions below.
For this task, please submit the Questions document with your responses to Lipscomb's questions.
Naming Your Document
Please use the following naming conventions when saving your documents:
If you are working on this course in a team, use the format:
B6_Questions_TeamName.doc (replacing TeamName with your team's name)
If you are working on this course individually use the format:
B6_Questons_YourInitials.doc
Here are examples:
Team A just completed the Questions document for this task. The document name should appear as:
B6_Questions_TeamA.doc
If Kevin Smith was working individually on the course, he would name his document:
B6_Questions_KS.doc
Submitting Your Document
How you should submit your work depends on how you are taking this course...
If you are taking this course in a live classroom, you should print out your work and give it to your mentor, or follow the specific instructions s/he gives you.
If you are taking this course remotely, submit your work by clicking here. This will open an e-mail addressed to your mentor that you can attach your document to.
Reflect on what you’ve learned in this task by answering the following questions:
After you've completed the scenario, please read the following questions and discuss them with your mentor and/or the other members of your team.
Welcome to the Knowledge Center, APRIL’s online guide to resources about air toxic releases. Before you begin the scenarios, you should review each of the Recommended Readings below, and, if you have time, the readings about more specific topics listed below.
Recommended Readings:
Document: “Emergency
Responders ‘Rules-of-Thumb’ for Air Toxic Releases”
A report by the Los Alamos National Laboratory on the behaviors of air toxic
releases given various weather and topographical factors. Provides valuable
information to help you both assess and predict the behaviors of a plume. Note:
this is fairly long so you may want to divide it between 2 members of your team.
Website: NARAC
Information, how-to guides, downloadable documents, and other resources and
tools associated with analyzing and responding to air toxic releases into the
atmosphere. Review the information contained in this website to prepare for
using the NARAC predictive plots in the scenarios.
Website: Emergency
Response Guidebook
Viewable version of the Emergency Response Guidebook, a comprehensive guide
to the strategies and tactics of effective emergency response. Too long to read,
but you will probably need to use this at various points in the scenarios. Therefore,
we recommend that you briefly familiarize yourself with it before beginning.
Website: CDC Emergency Preparedness
and Response
A comprehensive guide by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to toxic
agents. To help you prepare for the scenarios, we recommend that you do some
initial research on hydrogen fluoride and cesium.
For Further Information About…
Animated NARAC Model and Satellite Images from an Actual Chlorine Release
Document: Conyers Plume
Animation
A PowerPoint showing an animated NARAC model of the chlorine plume released
in Conyers, GA. This animation is helpful in visualizing how a plume can move
over time. View in slideshow mode to see animation.
Document: Conyers Satellite
A PowerPoint showing satellite images of the plume released in Conyers, GA.
View in slideshow mode to see animation.
Chemical Releases
Document:
"NARAC Emergency Response Guide"
NARAC’s official guide to emergency response
Website: Toxics Release Inventory
Program
EPA-sponsored searchable archive of toxic releases
Website: Chemical Spill
Website on emergency planning for chemical spills
Radiological Materials and Events
Definition of Radiation Terms (excerpted from FRMAC Assessment Manual)
Document: “Understanding
Radiation in Our World”
A 60-plus page book from the National Safety Council with in-depth yet easy-to-understand
discussion of radiation related issues.
Website: National
Safety Council's Understanding Radiation
A helpful and accessible site on understanding radiation that contains the above
guidebook.
Document:
"Nuclear Safety and Reliability"
Discussion of radioactive materials dispersion in the environment. From Nuclear
Safety & Reliability Course by Dan Meneley.
Document: "Radiological
Assistance"
Overview of the resources available to respond to a radiological attack
Documents from the Federal Radiological Monitoring and Assessment Center:
Dirty Bombs
Document:
"Weapons of Mass Disruption"
Overview of the Potential Effects of Dirty Bomb Explosions
Document:
"Protective Action Guidelines"
Overview of what to do in response to a dirty bomb
Document:
"TOPOFF2 Final Report"
Official Report of TOPOFF Project, a hypothetical scenario conducted by the
EPA to measure response capabilities in case of a radiological attack.
Modeling Software
Website: List of commonly used modeling software for chemical and radioloigcal releases (Health Physics Society)
Document: An introduction to plume models and ALOHA capabilities (PPT slides in PDF format)
ALOHA Website (NOAA)
CAMEO Website (EPA)
NARAC Website (Lawrence Livermore)
Website: HOTSPOT atmospheric dispersion model (Lawrence Livermore)