Re: Fire Department Permit and Radioactive Material

[Mark Steinbuchel <markst@ONC.hhsys.org>]

Ron,

In response to your List Server message below -
 
I personally think that it is extremely important for us as 
Radiation Safety Officers to look beyond the minimum of the 
Community Right to Know Act and actively work with the 
public agencies that we expect to come to help us when 
times are tough.  At our regional hospital, we invite the 
city fire inspectors to really know where we have "hot 
labs", radioactive storage for decay lockers, diagnostic 
and therapy use areas, so they can fully preplan with their 
academy and give proper continuing education training of 
local agency first responders.
  
We serve on the Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) 
by chairing an office, routinely go to coordination 
meetings 200 miles away at the State Department of Health's 
Division of Radiation Control, actively participate in 
drills with the Emergency Management Agency (EMA), NASA, US 
Army's Redstone Arsenal, and the Tennessee Valley Authority 
(TVA) <since we are near the infamous Browns Ferry Nuclear 
facility - which had the 'candle incident' some years ago>.

Our Emergency Care Department's Level I Trauma Center has 
agreements to provide decontamination services in an on 
site, government funded facility at the ambulance entrance 
to serve both TVA power plant workers, local high tech 
research facilities and transportation accident victims.

It is important to be involved and take a proactive role in 
being a resource to your community, - not just saying I 
will do the minimum required in the regulations and sure do 
hope nobody ever tries verify any of our procedures or 
inventory.

Yes, NRC and Agreement State are our primary regulators 
and your Boston Fire Dept. is in the hometown of NFPA as 
well as the world's premeire Medical School for Medical 
Oncologists (Harvard), but by health physics professionals 
educating local emergency response personnel, you and your 
institution will be seeing that there is no hesitancy by 
a trained rookie to snuff out a trash can size problem when 
they are otherwise having to spend a precious extra five 
minutes while their shift lieutenant is looking up 
"what's it say in Guide Number 162 in the DOT's 1996 
North American Emergency Response Guidebook to see what 
that darn DOT/UN 2911 label on a P-32 isotope Cardiology 
Stent box in your Cardiac Catherization Laboratory really 
means, because when a fire doubles in size every 
half minute, it will be a full room flashover before they 
have the answer radioed back to the guy on the end of a 
inch and one half hose - who could have gone back in to 
extinguish it, if he was not scared to death.

Do not laugh, this is a real world example and firefighters 
have the right to ensure their safety ahead of property.

Let's go beyond regulations and get involved locally, as 
professionals.


Mark Steinbuchel, CHCM, Asst. RSO
Chairman, Radiation Safety Committee
Huntsville Hospital System

(205) 551-6590

Disclaimer: The opinion expressed herein is my own and does 
not reflect the policy of my health care institution nor 
the public agencies that I voluntarily serve with.
On Thu, 18 Dec 1997 12:51:11 -0600 (CST) Ron Amoling 
<AMOLINGR@JOSLAB.HARVARD.EDU> wrote:

> At our facility in Boston, we have a permit from the Boston Fire Dept 
> for the storage and use of various flammable and hazardous materials. 
> Radioactive materials are mentioned in the permit, but 
> the permit 
> defers regulation to the state or federal agency that regulates 
> radioactivity in Massachusetts....
> 
> So, although the fire dept is interested technically, they realize 
> that it's already being controlled and regulated by other agencies..
> 
> Ron Amoling
> amolingr@joslab.harvard.edu

----------------------
Mark Steinbuchel
markst@ONC.hhsys.org