Police forces from all over Europe are set to converge on a nuclear training facility in Nevada in order to learn what to do in the event of a terrorist dirty bomb attack.
Known as T-1, the Center for Radiological/Nuclear Training was originally founded in 1998, a place where emergency services could learn how to deal with disasters caused by weapons of mass destruction, the Las-Vegas Review Journal reports.
Since 1998, approximately 180,000 first responders from all over the US have completed courses on how to detect, prevent and react to acts involving hazardous or radioactive materials. And now Project Mercury is set to begin, with officials from Europe taking part in a $500,000 pilot programme to ensure safe and successful responses in the event of a nuclear incident.
Training supervisor for the National Nuclear Security Administration’s Counter-Terrorism Operations Support Team Brian Richardson said: “Currently, several terrorist organisations are attempting to get radiological material for a radiological dispersal device, or dirty bomb. Others are actually trying to acquire a stolen nuclear weapon … This training is important because the next biggest threat across the country is expected to be an explosive device, probably laced with radioactive material.”
As well as ensuring that members of staff are appropriately trained to react accordingly in the event of a terrorist attack or similar, businesses would also be wise to invest in window film that can withstand a bomb blast. This can be placed over the windows of your building so that if a bomb does go off, the glass will not shatter, so the number of casualties is automatically reduced.
