Mobile Incident Command/Radiation Laboratory

Mission

The Radiological Health Program has a Radiological Emergency Response Team equipped with field instrumentation for monitoring radiation and a mobile laboratory for performing laboratory analysis so that a rapid assessment of a radiological incident can be made and the appropriate recommendations provided to state, and local officials.

Purpose

• Provide mobile radiological laboratory services for a commercial nuclear power plant accident
• Participate in the annual exercises for commercial nuclear power plants
• Provide analytical services for the Division's environmental monitoring program
• Provide support as a Mobile Incident Command Vehicle for VDH's Office of Emergency Preparedness and Planning- Terrorism Response

The new mobile incident command /radiation laboratory vehicle was manufactured at the Pierce Manufacturing facility in Appleton, WI and delivered on February 4, 2008.

Vehicle Specifications

• 2007 Pierce Enforcer
• 50,500 lbs GVW
• Height 12' 6.75"
• Fuel capacity- 70 gallons- Diesel
• Features- Big foot leveler, Awning on right side for sample receiving, left slide out
• Electrical- 30 kW generator, shore power- two 50 amp/110 volt single phase service
• Four independent AC/heater units

Radiation Laboratory

Gamma Analysis- Two detectors- High Purity drifted Germanium (HpGe) detector in a one ton shield for low-level environmental analysis, and Sodium Iodide (NaI) detector in a shield.

Alpha/beta counting- low-level counting system with a sample changer for detection of alpha and beta radiation

Liquid Scintillation Counting System (LSC) for low-level beta counting

Standards-

• Mixed gamma in Marinelli beaker
• Radio-iodine in charcoal filter and filter paper
• Americium-241(alpha emitter) on planchette
• Cesium-137 and Strontium-90 (beta emitters) on planchette
• LSC: H-3, C-14, and two radon in water standards.

Portable Instrumentation

• GM Survey meters with stick probes and pancake probes
• Alpha Scintillation survey meters and probes
• micro-R meters
• radionuclide identifiers with neutron detection capability
• survey meters with extendable probes to reach rail cars
• air samplers with tripods and external battery supply

Communications/Audio/Visual Capabilities

• two flatscreen TVs
• radio
• satellite phone
• cellular phone service
• land lines and FAX machine
• Direct TV Service
• DVD player
• Internet

Conference Room

Stockpile of Potassium Iodine 130mg tablets for emergency workers- 100 strips x 14 tablets/strip = 1,400 doses.

Radiological Health Program | James Madison Building, 7th Floor | 109 Governor Street,  Room 730 | Richmond, VA  23219 | Telephone (804) 864-8150 | Fax: (804) 864-8155