Onsite response to the accident at Chernobyl (accident management)

In summarizing the information provided in the USSR report on plant stabilization shortly after the accident at Chernobyl and on the early response measures, the following three main stages can be identified: (1) the building fire-fighting actions and measures (techniques) undertaken and their effectiveness in controlling and finally extinguishing the fire; (2) the short-term stabilization of the plant immediately following the accident; and (3) the long-term recovery, including entombment of the damaged unit and the monitoring of the evolution and long-term stability of the entombed core debris and reactor building. Clearly, the information provided in the USSR report and the additional discussions indicated the importance of accident management. The science and technology of nuclear accident management has not been neglected in the nuclear field; however, attention to this aspect of nuclear safety research has been necessarily largely theoretical. Consequently the practical and very successful experience at the Chernobyl site is of great interest and should be further analyzed and documented