On April 12th and 13th, Center for Nuclear Security Science and Policy Initiatives Deputy Director Dr. Craig Marianno and some of his graduate students helped organize and oversee an exercise for Wyoming’s National Guard Civil Support Team (CST) at the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service’s Disaster City facility.
On the first day, Dr. Marianno and his group used multiple radiation sources placed around Disaster City to simulate contamination from a radiation dispersal device (RDD). The CST used their own radiation detection instruments to locate and delineate the radiation fields. They also used special types of instruments known as radioisotopic identifiers (RIIDS) to identify what radiation sources were present.
Dr. Marianno’s group regularly organizes radiological emergency response exercises at Disaster City for visiting students and other groups. The world’s largest search-and-rescue training facility, Disaster City features realistic mock ups that simulate city and town structures and various types of disaster scenarios.
