State and local health departments have a responsibility to protect the health and safety of the populations they serve following a radiological event. In addition, jurisdictions may be asked to monitor, decontaminate, and shelter displaced populations that evacuate to their region from impacted areas in the event of a large-scale radiological event. While there are many jurisdictions that have developed comprehensive radiation response plans, some jurisdictions are just beginning to address the topic.

Whatever stage of planning or jurisdictional capability level public health planners find themselves in there are a wide assortment of resources available to assist with preparing for radiation emergencies.

For more information on the topics discussed during the National Association of County and City Health Official’s (NACCHO) Radiation Readiness Twitter Chat, please visit the resources below:

Supporting Mass Care Operations and Radiation Sheltering

• A Guide to Operating Public Shelters in a Radiation Emergency, First Edition, February 2015 (document)
• Radiological Sheltering Tabletop Exercise Toolkit (exercise toolkit)
• Population Monitoring in Radiation Emergencies: A Guide for State and Local Public Health Planners, Second Edition, April 2014 (document)

Dispelling Common Radiation Myths and Misconceptions

• Myths of Radiation: Communicating in Radiation Emergencies (training series)
• Radiation Answers (website)

Radiation Response Volunteers

• Radiation Response Volunteer Corps (website)
• How to Volunteer (website)

Radiation Health Effects and Internal Contamination

• Health Effects of Radiation (website)
• Acute Radiation Syndrome (ARS) health effects (website)
• Internal Contamination Clinical Reference (ICCR) Application (app)
• Internal Contamination Information (website)
• Contamination Versus Exposure (website)

Risk Communication and Public Information

• Protective Action Guide Manual (website)
• Improvised Nuclear Device Response and Recovery: Communicating in the Immediate Aftermath (document)
• Communicating During and After a Nuclear Power Plant Incident (document)
• Communicating Radiation Risks Crisis Communications for Emergency Responders (document)
• CDC Radiation Communication and Media Tools (website)

General Resources

• CDC Radiation Emergencies Resources (website)
• National Alliance for Radiation Readiness (website)
• Radiation Emergency Medical Management (website)
• NACCHO Radiation Preparedness Resources (website)
• Critical Radiation Resources Fact Sheet (document)

Beyond the resources listed above, NACCHO can provide technical assistance to local health departments looking to expand their radiation preparedness capabilities. NACCHO can also connect local health departments to the most relevant resources that will aid them in building radiation preparedness plans. In addition, NACCHO has capacity to assist jurisdictions in the development and execution of both discussion-based and functional radiological public health preparedness exercises. For more information or to request technical assistance, contact Raymond Puerini or Alex Harris.