Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection

Emergency Burn Ban In Effect 10/26/24 - An emergency burn ban is now in effect for all Connecticut State Parks, Forests, and Wildlife Management areas, prohibiting the use of all outdoor grills, firepits, and campfires, and the kindling and use of flame outdoors. DEEP and local agencies are working to contain several active fires across the state. Please avoid all affected State Parks and Forests, as well as the blue-blazed Mattabesett Trail. The Enduro Trail in Voluntown and portions of North Stonington within the Pachaug State Forest are closed at this time. Rocky Neck State Park is also closed until further notice due to a brush fire. Please note that today's forest fire danger report remains at a 'very high' or 'extreme' level. More information about the current fire danger, burn ban and recommended safety measures can be found here

Radiation - Emergency Response

How to Prepare for a Radiological Emergency

What is a Dirty Bomb?

CT DEEP Emergency Response

The Radiation Division plays a major role in maintaining and implementing the state's Radiological Emergency Plan and responds to all transportation, industrial and research facility emergencies/incidents involving ionizing radiation.

The Radiation Division is charged with performing an independent assessment and providing its findings to the Governor on the adequacy of the nuclear power plant licensees off site radiation exposure control, dispersion analysis, and protective action recommendations during a nuclear incident at either of the two nuclear power/spent nuclear fuel sites in Connecticut.

To accomplish this task, a three-phase evaluation process is conducted:

Phase 1 - Plume Exposure Pathway

Responsibilities:

  • Review information from facility
  • Make independent assessment based on dispersion analysis
  • Using EPA's Protective Action Guides, give recommendations concerning the protective action necessary to protect the public
  • Assume responsibility of liaison with the plant operator at the Emergency Operations Facility.

Phase 1 is accomplished by using projected and real time meteorological data in conjunction with sophisticated computer models to predict the off-site dose consequences and make protective action recommendations as necessary. Some of the models currently used are MIDAS (Meteorological Information and Dose Assessment System), RASCAL (Radiological Assessment System for Consequence Analysis) and NARAC (National Atmospheric Release Advisory Center) 3-D model.

Phase 2 - Deployment of Radiological Response Teams

Responsibilities:

  • Deploy emergency response teams to the effected area to make radiation measurements with portable radiation monitoring equipment to confirm or follow-up on the results of the facility's initial accident assessment and perform a secondary assessment.

Phase 2 is accomplished by the command and control of highly trained emergency radiological response teams consisting of one health physicist, one driver and two way radio equipped four wheel drive vehicles with extensive portable radiation monitoring equipment. The Radiation Division presently has a standing MOU with Electric Boat to provide additional Health Physicists for radiological response teams. Field teams provide real time information on the types of radiation present, concentration and location. This information is used at the Emergency Operations Center in Hartford for additional consequence analysis.

Phase 3 - Ingestion Pathway

Responsibilities:

  • Coordinate inter-agency and interdepartmental sample efforts
  • Define where and what samples are to be taken for identification
  • Define what pathways are to be sampled
  • Define what analysis with priority is to be performed for each sample
  • Implement the Ingestion Pathway exposure procedure.

Phase 3 is accomplished by using computer models in conjunction with actual field data that is derived from radio-analysis of food pathways and environmental samples. Command and Control of radiological response teams is crucial to the success of this phase.

Radiation

Content Last Updated January 2020