AIKEN, S.C. - The Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) recently hosted police departments and government agencies from five states to test vehicles equipped with radiological and nuclear detection.
“SRNL has the unique capabilities to perform testing and exercises that are significant to the nation’s nuclear security," said Richard Reichel, director of SRNL Global and Homeland Security Programs. “We are able to provide information and distinctive scenarios and settings not possible elsewhere."
Reichel said this first test in a series validated the equipment, making it a successful, collaborative effort.
The lab developed the methodology for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Domestic Nuclear Detection Office (DNDO) testing. SRNL is a strategic partner with DNDO and routinely tests such equipment.
The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control, Florida Highway Patrol and police departments from Indianapolis, Las Vegas and Suffolk County, N.Y., participated in the event.
To prepare, the SRNL team confirmed no hazards were present and no other activities would be in progress along the demonstration route. They placed sealed radiation sources at various distances from the road along the 1.5-mile route.
The participants drove SUVs equipped with the detection gear to determine the type and amount of materials used. They drove at speeds ranging from 0 to 35 mph.
The testing team included SRNL employees and pipeline engineers and construction personnel from Savannah River Nuclear Solutions, the management and operations contractor at the Savannah River Site.
SRNL will coordinate the second testing phase, which involves the law enforcement agencies assessing the equipment at their own locations.
DNDO’s mission is to execute domestic and global nuclear detection efforts by improving capabilities to deter, detect, respond to and attribute attacks.
Source: U.S. Dept. of Energy, Office of Environmental Management
