Re: Firefighters and Dosemetry in the UK.

[stephane_jeanfrancois@Merck.Com (Stephane Jeanfrancois)]

 Item1 : Siemens  PAD  dosimeters (don't remember the model) seemed
pretty rugged to me (metal case with one window, digital display,
multifunctionnal rubber buttons etc.)

Item 2: Agree: Training is needed to interpret the readings and to let a
PAD with the firefigthers.

Item 3: Agree: I do beleive that in most places where a serious
radiation hazard exist, there is an RSO or somebody who is qualified to
address the situation.

Stephane Jean-Francois Phys. Eng.
RSO
Merck Frosst Canada
stephane_jeanfrancois@merck.com
The opinion expressed here is mine and do not involve my employer.
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You wrote:


Some ideas for discussion:

1. To be useful, a dosimeter must be able to survive in its working
environment, and for firefighting this means lots of water and serious
impacts. I have seen only one design that can take anything more than a
casual splash of water, but I can't remember the brand (memory is the
last
thing to go...). It was developed for the US Navy. Perhaps someone else
can
help here.

If the dosimeter is worn under the firefighter's protective clothing,
the
need for waterproofing the dosimeter diminishes and perhaps even
disappears.

2. Philosphical:  why does a firefighter need a real-time display of
dose?
Is a firefighter likely to enter an environment where life-threatening
acute doses are a real problem?

Because of these things, it seems to me that wearing the device inside
the
firefighter's outer clothing isn't necessarily a bad idea. Certainly the
survival rate for the dosimeters would go up.

3. If severe radiological conditions do exist at a fire, decisions must
be
made about who can be permitted to attempt a property-saving or
lifesaving
task, and those in charge would need to know individual doses of the
candidates for the job. At that time, having each firefighter access the
dosimeter under the protective clothing and read it (or having a third
party do this) shouldn't be a major problem. This approach is used for
high
dose rate jobs in nuclear power plants. where a roving HP tech will read
individual electronic dosimeters of workers while they work to inform
them
of their doses and to make decisions about continuing the work. This
allows
realtime monitoring of doses without slowing the work.