On August 27th, the Maryland-National Capital Region Emergency Response System (MDERS) led the pilot of a new Radiation 101 course for Montgomery County in coordination with the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Public Health Emergency Response Program and the Montgomery County Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security.

The Radiation 101 course is part of a project led by MDERS to rewrite the DHHS Community Reception Center (CRC) plan, which seeks to provide a coordinated and operational response in the event of a radiation emergency impacting Montgomery County. A CRC is a location where individuals are monitored, decontaminated, and registered for follow up if they have been exposed to radioactive material.

Twelve students from the volunteer Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) joined the instructors and partners from the Maryland State Police (MSP), Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD), and the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue (MCFRS) Hazmat Team to learn about radiation safety, CRC operations, and equipment usage. Students were presented with a PowerPoint presentation and were then given time to practice with the equipment with real radiation sources. This hands-on component of the program was critical to familiarize participants with both equipment that may be found in a CRC as well as expected job performance measures.

After the course, the students and instructors engaged in a hotwash to identify strengths and areas for improvement for the course. The students were also provided with a feedback form to complete. The strengths and areas for improvement will be utilized to make changes to the course to ensure that it meets the needs of DHHS and first responders.

MDERS is proud to support Montgomery County and the greater NCR in strengthening radiation response. While a significant radiation emergency is considered a low-frequency event, it has the potential to be an incident of significant impact. As a result, the development and continued improvement to the program in Montgomery County supports not only immediate residents, businesses and guests but the greater National Capital Region. The class was well received and MDERS looks forward to continuing to collaborate with DHHS on the CRC project.

Written by Katie Dwyer