SCPRI Emergency Kit for Use in the Event of a Nuclear Accident

In the event of a nuclear accident necessitating implementation of the ORSEC radiation protection plan, the Service central de protection contre les rayonnements ionisants (Central Service for Protection against Ionizing Radiations), in conjunction with the Service national de la protection civile (National Civil Defence Service), has adopted the necessary measures for rapid evaluation of possible contamination as promptly as possible. With this aim in mind the Service has prepared emergency kits, which are permanently stored at airfields in the Paris region; these can be carried by aircraft together with two engineers from the Service, thereby enabling them to reach the site of the incident with the specialized equipment in a few hours at most. This paper describes the monitoring and sampling equipment as well as the conditions under which the kit is carried and used (it operates independently by having a built-in generating unit). It is basically designed to permit an initial assessment of the situation, to furnish local authorities with data on which to base decisions for the safety of the population, and to determine any additional measures that need to be adopted. (author)