Re: What can we do now??

["Tony Harrison" <laharris@SMTPGATE.DPHE.STATE.CO.US>]

For many years, emergency planning around Rocky Flats used the crash of

a fully loaded 747 as the Maximum Credible Accident (MCA), resulting in

a modelled release of around 100 grams of WGPu.  In the mid nineties,

while reviewing the assumptions & parameters used in the models,

Stapleton International Airport closed and Denver International Airport

opened, at a greater distance from the Site.  The State of Colorado

agreed with DOE that the crash of a smaller aircraft from the local

airport was a reasonable MCA.  In both MCA's, Site personnel stated

their belief that either fire could be extinguished in an hour or less. 

The State didn't particularly believe this assumption, but let it slide

based on the low probability of occurrence.



Last Tuesday challenged those assumptions, to say the least.  My

question for the RADSAFE community is this:  Does anyone think that such

a fire, in a building full of drums & boxes of TRU, low level and mixed

wastes, some of it combustible in its own right, could be extinguished

in one hour?  Does anyone have specific references to support their

opinion?



I don't want to paint a bullseye on Rocky Flats or be too tough on DOE.

 To their credit, they and their contractors have moved a lot of waste

offsite, but much remains and will for the next few years.  It's easy to

assume that nothing will happen between now and the Site's final

closure, but I'm not sure those of us who work on this issue can afford

that luxury.



Tony Harrison, MSPH

Colorado Dept. of Public Health & Environment

Laboratory and Radiation Services Division

(303)692-3046

tony.harrison@state.co.us 





IS anyone else brainstorming where that might happen?

>Probably not. Guess we need it to happen before we take serious

>action.

>

>------------------------------------------------------------------------

>Sandy Perle



------------------



Are any radsafers working with governmental organizations (federal or 

state)regarding planning for local terroist events?



Any other ideas?



Jim Nelson

nelsonjima@hotmail.com 





************************************************************************

You are currently subscribed to the Radsafe mailing list. To unsubscribe,

send an e-mail to Majordomo@list.vanderbilt.edu  Put the text "unsubscribe

radsafe" (no quote marks) in the body of the e-mail, with no subject line.