Pictured: Monitoring stations/ walk-through portals that detect radiation, actors are in raincoats.
During the last week in May, DOC Critical Incident Manager Coordinator Captain Mark Hacherl hosted a Radiological Emergency Response Team (RERT) Training at SCI Rockview.
The DOC receives grant funding each year from the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency via the Commonwealth Radiological Emergency Response Fund. The DOC's team is the only mobile RERT in the Commonwealth at this time. The RERT is tasked with evaluation, monitoring and decontamination of individuals that may have been exposed to radiation from any incident or accident that may occur in the state.
This year's training included a Department of Energy course,
Modular Emergency Response Radiological Transportation Training (RERRTT), and a functional exercise. Both the course and exercise were facilitated with the assistance of PEMA Radiation Emergency Management Specialists Laurin Fleming and Krishna Subramanian. The 35 course attendees were selected from several institutions and several different classifications. All volunteered for the training and have an interest in Radiological Emergency Response Operations. Many are currently obtaining Commonwealth certification as Radiological Response Team (RRT) members and Radiological Officers (RO).
The exercise scenario was based upon a simulated failure of the protective barriers at the nuclear power plant near SCI Retreat, necessitating the simulated evacuation of the institution. The RERT was deployed to an alternate location (K-9 facility grounds) and set up monitoring and decontamination sectors. Actors (FERT members from SCIs Benner Township and Rockview) were then dropped off and run through the processes.
Decontamination station operations
RERT leadership was given the chance to evaluate their operations and adjusted the processes on the second day of the exercise. Operations were observed by DOC Chief of Facility Security Major Scott Woodring and DOC Special Teams Coordinator Captain Shane Reiter.
In closing, this is the first time that the DOC RERT has exercised the full operational capacities of the team. The processes identified were successful and we can be confident that the RERT will be available and proficient if ever needed.