214
17 Medical Response
whether or not the amount of internal contamination warrants decorporation
therapy, further tests, or no action.
6. Registration—Every person passing through the CRC will be required to stop
at the registration station. Here their personal information, contact information,
and survey information will be recorded; this information will be used for longterm tracking and follow-up, especially for those found to have internal and/or
external contamination. Information recorded at the registration station will be
used for long-term tracking and follow-up of the health of those registered as
well as for possible scientific research and for adjudicating future compensation
claims among those who develop cancer at any time after the attack.
7. Mental health—any terrorist attack is likely to traumatize members of the
public and to disrupt the lives of those in the city that was attacked. The mental
health station will help these people to begin to recognize the shock they have
undergone and to help them to find the resources and the help they will need.
8. Information and discharge—Before going home, all persons will have the
opportunity to learn about shelters and assistance programs relevant to their
needs. Some shelters might require proof that a person is not contaminated in
order for them to be admitted; the information and discharge station should also
be able to provide them with a certificate indicating their contamination status.
9. Investigations—some of those passing through the CRC might have witnessed
events that could be important to investigating the attack; it is also possible that
those who perpetrated the attack might come to one of the CRCs for assessment
and (possibly) decontamination. An investigations station will be established to
interview those who might have information that could be of value to the criminal
investigation. In addition, some at the CRC will be trained to recognize radiation
injuries and will bring these to the attention of the investigations section if they
are noticed.
There is more to the CRC than the public passing through; it will be necessary to set
up the CRCs and make them operational, as well as to operate them for weeks or even
months following an attack. This means that each CRC will require a management
structure, a Health and Safety Officer, a Radiation Safety Officer, and two or three
shifts of staff for each station as well as for operating the CRC as a whole. As
one example, it will be necessary to take periodic air samples, to perform periodic
contamination surveys on both the “hot” and “clean” sides of the CRC, to collect
contaminated clothing and personal effects, and all of the other functions that will
be required.
Operating a CRC requires a large number of people as well; the following numbers
are estimates based on the type of CRC envisioned by several large cities.
• Managers: 5–10 staff
– CRC Manager, Radiation Control Officer, Safety Officer, Operations Manager,
HazMat Operations Director, etc.
• Pre-screeners: 2–5 staff
• First Aid station: 2 staff
17 Medical Response
whether or not the amount of internal contamination warrants decorporation
therapy, further tests, or no action.
6. Registration—Every person passing through the CRC will be required to stop
at the registration station. Here their personal information, contact information,
and survey information will be recorded; this information will be used for longterm tracking and follow-up, especially for those found to have internal and/or
external contamination. Information recorded at the registration station will be
used for long-term tracking and follow-up of the health of those registered as
well as for possible scientific research and for adjudicating future compensation
claims among those who develop cancer at any time after the attack.
7. Mental health—any terrorist attack is likely to traumatize members of the
public and to disrupt the lives of those in the city that was attacked. The mental
health station will help these people to begin to recognize the shock they have
undergone and to help them to find the resources and the help they will need.
8. Information and discharge—Before going home, all persons will have the
opportunity to learn about shelters and assistance programs relevant to their
needs. Some shelters might require proof that a person is not contaminated in
order for them to be admitted; the information and discharge station should also
be able to provide them with a certificate indicating their contamination status.
9. Investigations—some of those passing through the CRC might have witnessed
events that could be important to investigating the attack; it is also possible that
those who perpetrated the attack might come to one of the CRCs for assessment
and (possibly) decontamination. An investigations station will be established to
interview those who might have information that could be of value to the criminal
investigation. In addition, some at the CRC will be trained to recognize radiation
injuries and will bring these to the attention of the investigations section if they
are noticed.
There is more to the CRC than the public passing through; it will be necessary to set
up the CRCs and make them operational, as well as to operate them for weeks or even
months following an attack. This means that each CRC will require a management
structure, a Health and Safety Officer, a Radiation Safety Officer, and two or three
shifts of staff for each station as well as for operating the CRC as a whole. As
one example, it will be necessary to take periodic air samples, to perform periodic
contamination surveys on both the “hot” and “clean” sides of the CRC, to collect
contaminated clothing and personal effects, and all of the other functions that will
be required.
Operating a CRC requires a large number of people as well; the following numbers
are estimates based on the type of CRC envisioned by several large cities.
• Managers: 5–10 staff
– CRC Manager, Radiation Control Officer, Safety Officer, Operations Manager,
HazMat Operations Director, etc.
• Pre-screeners: 2–5 staff
• First Aid station: 2 staff