CBRNE response

Disasters have been increasing through-out time, both natural and man-made, and it’s agreed upon, that disaster can gravely affect communities and countries if they are not prepared for them. One major part of this preparedness is in the healthcare systems, and primarily in the hospital’s Emergency Departments. Finland has disaster preparedness as part of its national laws, and the Ministry of Social Affairs & Health (STM) has also provided guidelines for Healthcare District Municipalities(SHP) and hospitals. International research has been increasing on this subject recently, but no public national research had been found. This thesis explored the current level of disaster preparedness of nurses in working in an Emergency Department (ED) in a middle size hospital in Finland. The research attempted to identify the different types of disasters which the ED nurses are prepared for, and what trainings and education they have. As well as to identify the factors affect the nurse’s preparedness levels. An empirical qualitative research was performed using inductive thematic data analysis. Data was collected by interviews with 4 charge nurses from an ED. Patricia Benner’s theory “From Novice to Expert” was used as framework, along with the STM guidelines. The findings revealed a lack of knowledge in some areas of disaster preparedness, as well as a lack of sufficient training and education, which affected the participants’ confidence in themselves when it came to some specific major events, and in the ED’s level of preparedness, especially since many of the nurses working there currently were new.

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) play an increasingly important role in various areas of life, including in terms of protection and security. As a result of fires, volcanic eruptions, or other emergencies, huge amounts of toxic gases, dust, and other substances are emitted into the environment, which, together with high temperature, often leads to serious environmental contamination. Based on the available literature and patent databases, an analysis of the available UAVs models was carried out in terms of their applicability in air contaminated conditions in industrial areas, in the event of emergencies, such as fire, chemical contamination. The possibilities of using the devices were analyzed in terms of weather conditions, construction, and used materials in CBRN (chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear) threat situations. It was found that, thanks to the use of appropriate sensors, cameras, and software of UAVs integrated with a given system, it is possible to obtain informat...

environment like a ship, instead of second in a dynamic and critical environment for the system as a hospital. Through the analysis of case happened, tabletop simulation, and the opinion of expert as doctors, firefighters, and rescue workers, we evaluate the hazard and we analyze the effect on the system, and how to interface The risk assessment is development the impact on systems, and how to interface with the national health system and its weakness. Analyzing the current system of response to events, there are analysis of the critical points. Moreover, It’s evaluate the current state of the art and the actors involved, their training and skill. Through the analysis of the critical points are identified solutions to optimize and improve the system. Keywords: Micro-organism; Bacterium; Virus; Drug; Outbreak; Epidemy; Biological evet; Biohazard; Bioweapon; Bioterrorism; HAZMAT; Risk; Hospital, Ship; Vessel; Port; First responder; University; Course; Emergency Medical Service; EMS; Firefighter;

Emergency management of biohazard events, outbreack on ship and hospital. Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/317329024_Emergency_management_of_biohazard_events_outbreack_on_ship_and_hospital [accessed Jun 3, 2017].

Lo scopo di questa tesi è analizzare il metodo attuale di soccorso e le successive complicazioni in un evento creato da un attentato terroristico o in cui siano coinvolte sostanze pericolose (Hazmat-CBRNe). In particolare, sarà seguito un percorso logico su come si dovrebbe effettuare un soccorso utilizzando un approccio olistico e omnicomprensivo, tenendo in considerazione tutte le variabili ed i pericoli. A questo scopo andrò a individuare un approccio progressivo, inizialmente spiegando la terminologia utilizzata e dei concetti fondamentali, in particolare per quello che riguarda tutti gli aspetti di pianificazione e prevenzione prima che un evento accada.  Seguirò con l’analisi di una scena del crimine e come si deve effettuare un soccorso corretto. In seguito analizzerò il fenomeno del terrorismo, poiché è una scena del crimine con nuovi pericoli. Infine tratterò il rischio CBRNe, in quanto, il terrorismo può utilizzare le armi non convenzionali per un attentato. Quest’ultimo capitolo approfondisce anche l’approccio al soccorso con presenza di sostanze pericolose, in quanto fino a indagini concluse, ci si deve relazionare sempre con una probabile scena del crimine, in questo caso anche contaminata. Come vedremo servirà lavorare approcciandosi con un metodo che tenga conto di tutto ciò, anche quando non si ha la certezza o la scena può evolvere. Attraverso dei “case study” e i fatti di cronaca reperiti attraverso un lavoro di “open source intelligence”, andrò ad analizzare le criticità e i punti deboli dell’attuale sistema del soccorso italiano anche per sottolineare la necessità per cui si adottano determinati protocolli e qual è il loro scopo. Vista la forte differenza con l’uso di terminologie e protocolli esteri, eviterò quanto più possibile l’uso e la descrizione del sistema italiano e di scenderne nel dettaglio, soprattutto perché la terminologia cambia in modo troppo radicale negli anni, e cambierà ancora nel futuro prossimo rendendo poco comprensibile questo lavoro tra qualche anno (oltre che distante dai fini di questa tesi). Come scelta tecnica quindi, ho deciso di adottare come linea di base il protocollo standard dell’ICS (Incident Command System) perché stabile nel tempo da decenni, e che ha una terminologia comune e conosciuta da moltissimi stati. Il nostro sistema riflette in buona parte il sistema ICS anche se con terminologie differenti. Utilizzare, la terminologia italiana (Es.: COC, COI, DICOMAC, ROS…) sarebbe di poca utilità a un lettore al di fuori del nostro Stato, e, tenendo anche in considerazione che il nostro sistema e la nostra terminologia sono sconosciuti alla maggior parte dei nostri stessi operatori, ho tentato di tenere il discorso quanto più semplice possibile e che possa essere una base di partenza per approfondire l’argomento.
Nel contesto italiano l’utilizzo della terminologia “anglofona” di questa tesi, ha un impatto limitato e trascurabile, in quanto, chi conosce il sistema sa facilmente riconoscere l’omologo italiano indipendentemente dalla evoluzione del nome e dalla normativa.

Traditionally, chemical attacks are seen as military bombs or home-brewed releases. Some of the original chemical attacks in WWI used industrial gasses such as phosgene. Similarly, industrial sites can be used to create a chemical attack, which is since September 2001. However, the potentially more pernicious attacks could use naturally occurring phenomena, such as “sour gas” oil fields.

Disasters have been increasing through-out time, both natural and man-made, and it’s agreed upon, that disaster can gravely affect communities and countries if they are not prepared for them. One major part of this preparedness is in the healthcare systems, and primarily in the hospital’s Emergency Departments. Finland has disaster preparedness as part of its national laws, and the Ministry of Social Affairs & Health (STM) has also provided guidelines for Healthcare District Municipalities(SHP) and hospitals. International research has been increasing on this subject recently, but no public national research had been found.

This thesis explored the current level of disaster preparedness of nurses in working in an Emergency Department (ED) in a middle size hospital in Finland. The research attempted to identify the different types of disasters which the ED nurses are prepared for, and what trainings and education they have. As well as to identify the factors affect the nurse’s preparedness levels.

An empirical qualitative research was performed using inductive thematic data analysis. Data was collected by interviews with 4 charge nurses from an ED. Patricia Benner’s theory “From Novice to Expert” was used as framework, along with the STM guidelines.

The findings revealed a lack of knowledge in some areas of disaster preparedness, as well as a lack of sufficient training and education, which affected the participants’ confidence in themselves when it came to some specific major events, and in the ED’s level of preparedness, especially since many of the nurses working there currently were new.

Introduction: Taking into consideration the natural disasters, the industrial and terrorist attacks had changed significantly with time. The idea of terrorist threats such as chemical biological radiologic or nuclear (CBRN) have determined the authorities to change and adjust their approach.
Methods: Through the experience of the Fire Brigade of Paris (BSPP), we focus on the emergency services organization
during a major event and on the triage of the victims, whether of a natural disaster or exposed to the CBRN.
Results: The new approach is based on a very clear and very well organized emergency care support, a very well organized commanding network, and last but not least a very well prepared logistic support.
Conclusion: The willingness and the necessity to anticipate the occurrence of such risks is materialized by the systematic well organized and clearly assigned functions: transport, triage, medical care, and evacuation of the victims. All of which are coordinated by the medical rescue direction.

Contesto: Roma ospita migliaia di targets sensibili. La resilienza sanitaria è garantita da 6 DEA di II livello e 7 di I. Ogni giorno, Roma ospita 4 milioni di persone, ± 2 di turisti.
Circa la SNA, Roma ospita 4 magazzini. In caso di evento CBRNe essi devono essere attivati, per poi caricare gli antidoti su furgoni ed inviarli agli ospedali richiedenti. 
Metodi: Questo studio analizza i PEIMAF degli ospedali con DEA di II livello e la loro adeguatezza in caso di un ipotetico evento terroristico di natura non convenzionale (CBRNe).
È stato stimato un incidente C/E a Piazza San Pietro (Stato Città del Vaticano) durante l’Udienza Generale del mercoledì a mezzodì, con un’analisi tabletop e con un modello matematico per simulare i tempi di attivazione e approntamento della SNA.
È stata poi messa a punto un confronto con quanto avvenuto durante gli attentati di Madrid, Londra, Parigi e Nizza, nonché con le soluzioni di resilienza sanitaria proposte dai Paesi Bassi.
Infine, i dati ottenuti sono stati utilizzati per un’analisi HTA in termini di costi economici e vite salvate circa le differenti strategie proposte per l’organizzazione della SNA
Risultati: I DEA sono cronicamente sottodimensionati già nell’ordinario e potrebbero non essere in grado di ospitare un così grande afflusso di persone in poco tempo, soprattutto se contaminate.
Alcuni ospedali non informano il proprio personale sulle procedure previste dal PEIMAF (dove quasi mai sono contemplate emergenze di natura CBRNe), ed anche ove ciò avviene, raramente si tengono esercitazioni.
Inoltre, la notizia di un eventuale attacco CBRNe potrebbe non arrivare in tempo utile al personale sanitario in servizio, e questo è estremamente problematico in quanto esso potrebbe essere maggiormente a rischio di contaminazione in caso di attacchi CBRNe ancora da segnalare.
Inoltre, senza un protocollo standardizzato attivo che copra l'intera città, non è possibile eseguire alcuna organizzazione intra ospedaliera.
La valutazione di economia sanitaria ha mostrato che spostando i magazzini SNA dall’attuale dislocazione, pur non ottenendo sensibili miglioramenti in merito all’efficacia nelle condizioni medie di trasporto ipotizzate, aumenterebbe il numero di persone salvabili attraverso un reinvestimento dei fondi risparmiati.
Conclusioni: Tutti i dati concordano sulla debolezza e la frammentazione del sistema organizzativo attuale. I tempi di attivazione e ricarica sono cruciali per l'efficacia e l'efficienza del pronto soccorso; un sistema di chiamata intelligente può ridurre il tempo di attivazione di SNA. Un'organizzazione più unitaria della SNA nei principali ospedali di Roma potrebbe ridurre i tempi di consegna e migliorare la sopravvivenza in caso di eventi importanti.

An analysis of the evolution and character of methamphetamine production in the United States. The piece details the risk posed by new techniques used in its illicit manufacture, as well as the danger to first responders who attempt to repair the damages.

This paper discusses the management of public responses to incidents involving chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear materials (CBRN). Given the extraordinary technical and operational challenges of a response to a CBRN release including, but not limited to, hazard detection and identification, casualty decontamination and multi-agency co-ordination, it is not surprising that public psychological and behavioural responses to such incidents have received limited attention by scholars and practitioners alike. As a result, a lack of understanding about the role of the public in effective emergency response constitutes a major gap in research and practice. This limitation must be addressed as a CBRN release has the potential to have wide-reaching psychological and behavioural impacts which, in turn, impact upon public morbidity and mortality rates. This paper addresses a number of key issues: why public responses matter; how responses have been conceptualised by practitioners; what factors have been identified as influencing public responses to a CBRN release and similar extreme events, and what further analysis is needed in order to generate a better understanding of public responses to inform the management of public responses to a CBRN release.

The public's understanding of chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) related issues and their likely actions following a CBRN incident is an issue of great concern, as public psychological and behavioural responses will help determine subsequent morbidity and mortality rates. This paper explores the role of effective government communication with the public and its role in mediating the social and psychological impact of terrorist attacks.

While many different actors are involved in crisis management process, one of most effective
approach for coping with crisis situation is a collaborative crisis management (CCM).
Thus to leverage a flow of information relevant for emergency managers and incident
commanders it is more than crucial to have a reliable and up-to-date information gathered from
credible sources.
A series of crisis management exercises conducted in Poland this year, in framework of FP7
project EDEN could be given as example of practical implementation of CCM.
The paper covers overall outcomes from lessons learned during designing, conducting and
evaluating a series of FP7 EDEN demonstrations in Poland. Each event had its specific
objectives and goals, thus all of them were generally driven by CBRNE hazard crisis situation
scenario. A series of three Virtual Facility (VF) workshops were held at the Main School of Fire
Service early this year.
They were focused on sharing of practical aspects in civil emergency planning process (nuclear
facility emergency scenario) and usage of selected EDEN tools supporting crisis managers.
Thus collaborative and interdisciplinary approach was implemented, enabling different actors to
understand, share and foresight their respective needs. One of most important issues was their
situational awareness in face of emergency radiation incident scenarios. Initial Field Exercise
(IFX) run by Astri Polska in April 2015 enabled the end users to examine specific issues
identified during VF workshops on basis of National Fire Service regional exercise framework.
Realistic CRBNE scenario, allowed sharing and merging data which were crucial for building of
common operational picture. Table Top Exercise (TTX) led by Space Research Centre PAS in
May 2015 was a combined staff training built upon scenarios related to VF workshops and IFX
exercise. One of aim of this exercise was to test and validate different sets of tools supporting
decision-making processes. Therefore, collaborative crisis management approach should be
seen as a way to integrate different actors and build enhanced

In the aftermath of the Sarin attacks in Tokyo in 1995, the
anthrax attacks in the USA in 2001, and the Litvinenko incident in London in 2006, incidents involving CBRN substances have become a growing concern for policy-makers and professionals in the area of civil protection in Europe. Resources were poured into preventing and responding to such incidents, often focusing
on improving technical and organisational capabilities.
In spite of the significant progress made in the technical and
procedural responses to CBRN events, “for many high-impact
risks we do not understand what the public actually expects in a situation or how tolerant they may be of ‘abnormal’ risks during a crisis”1.

This is changing partly as a result of EU-funded research that
has delved into understanding the role of the public in preparing for and responding to CBRN incidents. The PRACTICE project is unique within the world of CBRN research. Specifically, PRACTICE took us a step closer to improving the effectiveness of communicating with the public during a CBRN event by enabling researchers to test the risk communication and behaviour based
findings of past EU-funded studies during a live emergency
planning field exercise involving members of the public.

Scopo: Analisi delle procedure e dei punti critici di un soccorso in caso di attacco terroristico, e le complicazioni che si hanno nella sua gestione in caso di attacco non convenzionale con armi CBRNe o in caso di evento CBRNe. Background: Un evento terroristico o un evento CBRNe richiede una risposta coordinata dell’intero sistema di soccorso, protocolli interforze standardizzati, personale altamente qualificato ed addestrato periodicamente, oltre ad un sistema di smistamento vittime tra ospedali ampiamente collaudato. la Hot-zone è una zona del crimine circoscritta dai primi soccorritori e gli accessi devono essere controllati per prevenire la contaminazione delle prove da parte degli operatori e il trasporto della contaminazione al di fuori della zona controllata. In Italia, gli unici ad essere autorizzati al soccorso in zona rossa sono i Vigili del fuoco. Metodo e materiali: Studio ed analisi di “case studies” come le operazioni di soccorso alla “Costa Concordia” nel 2012. Analisi di procedure e protocolli di enti, istituzioni, ed organizzazioni ausiliarie e di volontariato sulla scena del crimine ed su eventi coinvolgenti materiale pericoloso (hazmat). Risultati (Finding): Molti soccorritori italiani di vari enti non hanno addestramento per la «scena del crimine» né per «rischio contaminazione/hazmat», e, durante gli interventi, sono stati riscontrati numerosi casi di discussioni e contrasti sulla linea di comando delle operazioni. Assenza di protocolli standardizzati di intervento, e gestione unificata dell’evento: Queste criticità creano significativi problemi durante le investigazioni e le indagini legali, oltre ad esporre gli operatori coinvolti e l’intera sicurezza nazionale ad incalcolabili rischi riguardanti contaminazioni e Hazmat. L’assenza di un appropriato management può portare alla contaminazione e compromissione di infrastrutture sensibili come trasporti ed ospedali. Conclusioni: L’incremento netto degli standard formativi di base di tutti gli enti, l’appropriata applicazione dei metodi di gestione eventi, l’applicazione di protocolli standardizzati, l’imposizione di una catena di comando efficiente e collaudata e del uso dell’ICS devono essere I punti di partenza per migliorare al più presto il sistema per garantire una risposta ed assistenza efficace, diminuire drasticamente I notevoli rischi per gli operatori e salvaguardare le prove per la gestione legale degli eventi. Il tutto al fine di migliorare la sicurezza nazionale. (2) SOCCORSO IN CASO DI ATTACCO TERRORISTICO / CBRNe. Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/320137047_SOCCORSO_IN_CASO_DI_ATTACCO_TERRORISTICO_CBRNe [accessed Oct 3, 2017].

Si les armes biologiques existent depuis l’Antiquité, l’histoire récente et le contexte géopolitique actuel obligent les professionnels de santé à mieux se préparer à des agressions de type biologique (“B”). La production et l’utilisation d’agents biologiques par certains États, l’effondrement du bloc de l’Est, l’épisode des lettres piégées au “charbon” aux États-Unis en 2001 et les conflits actuels au Moyen-Orient, sont quelques-uns des éléments à prendre en compte pour appréhender la menace.

Purpose – Reports from small-scale incidents in which decontamination was conducted suggest that a successful communication strategy is vital in order to increase public compliance with, and reduce public anxiety about, decontamination. However, it has not been possible to examine public behaviour during large scale incidents involving decontamination. The aim of the research reported here was to
examine the relationship between people’s positive perceptions of responding agencies’ communication strategies and relevant outcome variables, such as level of compliance and level of
reassurance, in several field exercises involving mass decontamination.
Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected using feedback questionnaires completed by simulated casualties, which contained items relating to casualties’ perceptions of the success of responding agencies’ communication strategies, their confidence in emergency responders, and their compliance with the decontamination process. Path analysis was used to examine the relationships between variables.
Findings – Results show a significant relationship between responding agencies’ communication strategies, level of public reassurance, and level of public compliance. The relationship between responders’ communication strategies and the outcome variables was partially mediated by public confidence in responders.
Practical implications – Emergency responders should focus on communication with members of the public as a key element of the decontamination process, as failure to do so could result in high levels of anxiety and low levels of compliance among those who are affected.
Originality/value – This research highlights the importance of effective responder communication strategies. Further, findings indicate the value of examining feedback from field exercises in order to facilitate a greater understanding of public experiences of the decontamination process.

This chapter consists of a brief discussion on some juridical aspects concerning scientists’ responsibility in risk prevention processes. After proposing some introductory considerations on scientists’ responsibility as such, the author deals with the L’Aquila earthquake crisis of 2009, when a strong quake destroyed significant parts of L’Aquila (Italy) and surrounding villages, killing more than 300 people. The chapter focuses on the relations between scientific knowledge, normative expectations, decision-making and criminal negligence for ‘failed’ risk assessment and management, paying particular attention to the role of ‘regulatory science’ in constructing the ‘reasonable person’ normative standard of care in the theory of criminal negligence. This allows explaining why the first judgement in the L'Aquila trial (2012) is not convincing, having misunderstood how policy-relevant science should participate in prevention processes and the construction of normative standards. In his conclusions, the author suggests some reasons for the recent tendency to blame experts when natural or technological disasters occur.

This article assesses the role of the European Union (EU) as an actor in the area of the non-proliferation of chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) weapons, materials and know-how. It primarily focuses on the Russian Federation. Russia’s extensive CBRN pro-grammes, combined with bad economy, weak security and high unemployment among CBRN scientists, have become the major source of concern for the international community following the end of the Cold War and after the terrorist attacks of September 11. The EU is the only non-state actor which got involved in addressing this threat already at the beginning of the 1990s, renewing its commitments after 9/11. This article revisits the concept of ‘actorness’, in order to examine the past, present and possibly future role of the EU in preventing the proliferation of CBRN capabilities. This means that in addition to evaluating past policies, this contribution analyses the impact of the Lisbon Treaty reforms and the changing international security environment on the position of the EU as an aspiring international non-proliferation ac-tor.

Scopo Analisi delle procedure e dei punti critici di un soccorso in caso di attacco terroristico , e le complicazioni che si hanno nella gestione del soccorso in caso di attacco non convenzionale con armi CBRNe o in caso di evento CBRNe Background: Un evento terroristico o un evento CBRNe richiede una risposta coordinata dell'itero sistema di soccorso, protocolli standardizzati interforze, personale altamente qualificato ed addestrato periodicamente, oltre ad un sistema di smistamento vittime tra ospedali ampiamente collaudato. la Hot-zone è una zona del crimine circoscritta dai primi soccorritori e deve essere controllata per prevenire la contaminazione delle prove da parte degli operatori e il trasporto della contaminazione al di fuori della zona controllata. In Italia, gli unici ad essere autorizzati al soccorso in zona rossa sono i Vigili del fuoco. Metodo e materiali: Studio ed analisi di "case reports" come le operazioni di soccorso alla "Costa Concordia&quo...

UN Security Council Resolution 2396 (2017) on Foreign Terrorist Fighters (Returnees and Relocators) urges nations to improve information and evidence sharing while developing tailored prosecution, rehabilitation and reintegration strategies; including programs addressing radicalization in children associated with “Foreign Terrorist Fighters.” The need for such programs has gained urgency since the collapse of Islamic State (IS)/Daesh, with the detainment of IS family members in overcrowded camps in Syria, and their uncertain fate following the Turkish military Operation PEACE SPRING, in October 2019. Approximately 2 million children underwent Daesh indoctrination June 2014 – 2019, and this process continues to be led by women in many detention camps. The heightened sense of vulnerability to terrorist attacks in Western nations has led many nations to refuse the return of children to their home country, or initial entry - fearing that their past radicalization will lead to future terrorism. Such decisions contravene, among other instruments, the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948), Convention on Refugees (1951), Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness (1961), the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC 1989), and the Optional Protocol to the CRC on Children in Armed Conflict (OPAC, 2000). This paper examines emotional traumas experienced by Daesh “camp followers,” particularly the children, and the psychological rehabilitation and social reintegration challenges they face as they grow to adulthood. This paper argues that the psychosocial support needed for rehabilitation and reintegration is better found in Western societies than in refugee camps, which are often incubators for future terrorists.

Le polymorphisme des menaces terroristes ou technologiques impose au professionnel de santé de se former à l’évaluation d’une situation d’urgence. Cela lui permet d’ajuster au mieux son bilan initial et de
mettre en place une coordination optimale des moyens de secours et des modalités de prise en charge. Pour comprendre la dynamique des conséquences d’une exposition nucléaire ou radiologique et les conduites
à tenir spécifiques inhérentes, le professionnel de santé doit maîtriser les grands principes d’intervention afin de les diffuser aux populations et ainsi limiter les phénomènes de panique et de sur-accident.

This is my monthly CBRNe threat assessment for the newsletter of IB Consultancy. This month covers chemical weapon attacks in Syria/Iraq, outbreak of MERS-Cov in Saudi Arabia, first functional RDD in US, causes of the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant disaster and the rise in islamist suicide attacks.

The risk of incidents involving mass decontamination in response to a chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear release has increased in recent years, due to technological advances, and the willingness of terrorists to use unconventional weapons. Planning for such incidents has focused on the technical issues involved, rather than on psychosocial concerns. This paper presents a novel experimental study, examining the effect of three different responder communication strategies on public experiences and behaviour during a mass decontamination field experiment. Specifically, the research examined the impact of social identity processes on the relationship between effective responder communication, and relevant outcome variables (e.g. public compliance, public anxiety, and co-operative public behaviour). All participants (n = 111) were asked to visualise that they had been involved in an incident involving mass decontamination, before undergoing the decontamination process, and receiving one of three different communication strategies: 1) ‘Theory-based communication’: Health-focused explanations about decontamination, and sufficient practical information; 2) ‘Standard practice communication’: No health-focused explanations about decontamination, sufficient practical information; 3) ‘Brief communication’: No health-focused explanations about decontamination, insufficient practical information. Four types of data were collected: timings of the decontamination process; observational data; and quantitative and qualitative self-report data. The communication strategy which resulted in the most efficient progression of participants through the decontamination process, as well as the fewest observations of non-compliance and confusion, was that which included both health-focused explanations about decontamination and sufficient practical information. Further, this strategy resulted in increased perceptions of responder legitimacy and increased identification with responders, which in turn resulted in higher levels of expected compliance during a real incident, and increased willingness to help other members of the public. This study shows that an understanding of the social identity approach facilitates the development of effective responder communication strategies for incidents involving mass decontamination.

Ghana has significantly improved its nuclear security infrastructure over the years. However, as threats increase by the day and new applications of nuclear and radiological technology are designed and implemented, Ghana must develop a rigid and comprehensive approach to mitigating the negative impacts on its nuclear security while improving prevention, detection, and deterrence of nuclear and radiological terrorism within its geographical space. This paper overviews the approaches adopted by Ghana to build a strong nuclear security regime within the past decade. These include improving legal frameworks for nuclear security by establishing an independent Nuclear Regulatory Authority; assessing nuclear security culture in facilities; strengthening nuclear security capabilities at facilities that hold radioactive materials by improving physical protection systems for deterrence and detection; and building strong and effective collaboration and cooperation with various stakeholders, both locally and internationally, to distribute responsibility and provide technical and logistic support to build a stronger nuclear security regime. Ghana also identified developments in human capacity in areas of nuclear security as a relevant approach to improving its nuclear security and has thus collaborated with the IAEA and the University of Ghana to establish a graduate school for training Ghanaians and Africans in nuclear-related disciplines.

Scopo Analisi delle procedure e dei punti critici di un soccorso in caso di attacco terroristico , e le complicazioni che si hanno nella gestione del soccorso in caso di attacco non convenzionale con armi CBRNe o in caso di evento CBRNe Background: Un evento terroristico o un evento CBRNe richiede una risposta coordinata dell'itero sistema di soccorso, protocolli standardizzati interforze, personale altamente qualificato ed addestrato periodicamente, oltre ad un sistema di smistamento vittime tra ospedali ampiamente collaudato. la Hot-zone è una zona del crimine circoscritta dai primi soccorritori e deve essere controllata per prevenire la contaminazione delle prove da parte degli operatori e il trasporto della contaminazione al di fuori della zona controllata. In Italia, gli unici ad essere autorizzati al soccorso in zona rossa sono i Vigili del fuoco. Metodo e materiali: Studio ed analisi di "case reports" come le operazioni di soccorso alla "Costa Concordia&quo...

Background: Rome hosts thousands of sensible targets. Healthcare reaction has been guaranteed by 6 advanced Emergency Departments (EDs) and 7 basic ones. Everyday Rome hosts 6 millions of people/die, ± 2 million in particular occasions. About National Stockpile Antidotes (SNA), Rome hosts 3 warehouses. In case of events, stockpiles are activated with a long-time call; then stockpiles are charged in delivering trucks. Methods: Study analyzes PEIMAF (State of emergency plans for massive influx of injures) of advanced EDs in Rome and their adequacy in a possible CBRNe attack. Hypothesis of C/N attack on Saint Peter’s Square during Angelus on Wednesday (at 12.00 AM) or E attack in Trastevere on Saturday (at 9.00 PM). Analysis of activation of SNA and travel times between SNA warehouse and EDs. Comparison with French EDs during Paris attacks. Finding: EDs are chronically undermanned in ordinary conditions already, and would have issues in hosting a very large number of critical patients all at once. Some hospitals do not inform their workers about PEIMAF or they do not consider CBRNe emergencies in their PEIMAF, and even if it has been considered, hardly any simulation/exercitation is ever performed. Moreover, news of the CBRNe attack may not reach immediately the healthcare personal already at work in EDs; this is extremely problematic since they could be at major risk of contamination in case of CBRNe attacks. Furthermore, without a standardize protocol active in the whole city, no cross-hospital organization can be performed. Conclusion: All data point towards the weakness and fragmentation of actual organizative system. Time of activation and charging are crucials for first aid efficacy and efficiency; a smart call system can reduce the activation time of SNA. A better organization of SNA in major Rome hospitals can reduce delivering time and help save more lives.

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) play an increasingly important role in various areas of life, including in terms of protection and security. As a result of fires, volcanic eruptions, or other emergencies, huge amounts of toxic gases, dust, and other substances are emitted into the environment, which, together with high temperature, often leads to serious environmental contamination. Based on the available literature and patent databases, an analysis of the available UAVs models was carried out in terms of their applicability in air contaminated conditions in industrial areas, in the event of emergencies, such as fire, chemical contamination. The possibilities of using the devices were analyzed in terms of weather conditions, construction, and used materials in CBRN (chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear) threat situations. It was found that, thanks to the use of appropriate sensors, cameras, and software of UAVs integrated with a given system, it is possible to obtain informat...

This paper offers insights into an innovative and currently flagship approach of the European Union (EU) to the mitigation of chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) risks. Building on its long-time experience in the CBRN field, the EU has incorporated methods familiar to the students of international security governance: it is establishing regional networks of experts and expertise. CBRN Centres of Excellence, as they are officially called, aim to contribute to the security and safety culture in different parts of Africa, the Middle East, South East Asia and South East Europe, in the broadly-construed CBRN area. These regional networks represent a modern form of security cooperation, which can be conceptualized as an epistemic policy networks approach. It offers flexibility to the participating states, which have different incentives to get involved. At the same, however, the paper identifies potential limitations and challenges of epistemic policy networks in this form.