Planning Guidance for Response to a Nuclear Detonation - Federal Guidance for a Nuclear Bomb Attack on an American City, Effects, Fallout, Shelter, Medical Care, Decontamination (Ringbound)

This ringbound book provides a reproduction of the important 2009 Federal guidance document, Planning Guidance for Response to a Nuclear Detonation. Illustrated with diagrams and drawings, this unique reference provides emergency planners with nuclear detonation-specific response recommendations to maximize the preservation of life in the event of an urban nuclear detonation. One of the most catastrophic incidents that could befall the United States, causing enormous loss of life and property and severely damaging economic viability, is a nuclear detonation in a US city. For this guidance, a nominal 10 KT (kiloton) yield nuclear device is assumed for the purposes of estimating impacts in high-density urban areas. Local and state community preparedness to respond could result in life-saving on the order of tens of thousands of lives. This guidance addresses the unique effects and impacts of a nuclear detonation such as scale of destruction, shelter and evacuation strategies, medical demands, management of nuclear casualties, and radiation dose management concepts. This guidance is aimed at response activities in an environment with a severely compromised infrastructure for the first few days when it is likely that many Federal resources will still be en route to the incident. Target audiences are response planners and their leadership, including elected officials, emergency managers, planners for law enforcement, fire, emergency medical, haz mat, utility services, transportation, hospitals, and others. Contents include: Nuclear Detonation Effects and Impacts in an Urban Environment, Blast, Blast Injuries, Thermal Radiation, Thermal Injuries, Radiation and Fallout, Combined Injuries, EMP, Zoned Approach to Nuclear Detonation Response, Functions and Priorities, Worker Safety, Shelter and Evacuation Recommendations, Protective Actions, Planning Considerations, Early Medical Care, Initial Mass Casualty Triage, Emergency Care, Fatality Management, Population Monitoring and Decontamination, Impacted Population, External and Internal Contamination, Mutual Aid Programs, Acronyms, Definitions. There are no clear boundaries between damage zones resulting from a nuclear detonation; some injuries such as eye and blast injuries can be prevented or reduced in severity if individuals that perceive an intense and unexpected flash of light seek immediate cover; EMP could result in extensive electronics disruptions complicating the function of communications, computers, and other essential electronics; the most hazardous fallout particles are readily visible as fine, sand-sized grains, but the lack of apparent fallout should not be misrepresented to mean radiation is not present; fallout that is immediately hazardous to the public and emergency responders will descend to the ground within about 24 hours; and the most effective life-saving opportunities for response officials in the first 60 minutes following a nuclear explosion will be the decision to safely shelter or evacuate people in expected fallout areas. This guidance was developed by a Federal interagency committee, the Homeland Security Council Interagency Policy Coordination Subcommittee for Preparedness and Response to Radiological and Nuclear Threats, with representation from the Executive Office of the President (Homeland Security Council and Office of Science and Technology Policy), the Departments of Defense, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Transportation, Veteran's Affairs, the Environmental Protection Agency, NASA, and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.