IAEA/RCA Regional Meeting on Emergency Management Decision Makers will be held on 17-19 Nov 2008, Mumbai, India in cooperation with the Government of India through Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Department of Atomic Energy, which was originally planned to be held on 17-19 June 2008.

In the past decades RCA’s efforts in the field of radiological and nuclear emergency management were focused on establishing and strengthening technical capabilities and competence. Having achieved substantial progress, the attention has been turned recently towards the sustainability of the infrastructure and the established knowledge base. The proper use of the existing capabilities at the time of an emergency requires a) the maintenance of the professional skills of the intervening staff (first responders and radiological assessors) and b) the competence of the decision makers.

To achieve Goal 1) the emergency workers must be regularly tested by exercises. In order to promote this ‘testing,’ RCA organized a Regional Field Exercise in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone (Slavutich, Ukraine), 14-18 May 2007, for radiological assessor teams of some RCA Member States.

For Goal b) senior decision makers must be trained/updated about the main specific issues of the radiological emergencies. These persons often arrive at the position where crucial decisions are expected without going through a thorough training in radiation protection, intervention criteria, radiation emergency management etc. For these decision makers, a forum for updating their knowledge about the concepts above, as well as sharing their views and opinion about the topics is of great importance. It would also serve the harmonization of decisions and the promotion of collaboration in the region.

The purpose of the meeting is 1) to set up a network or forum of decision makers to continue the future in a self sustaining way, 2) to give information about the prevailing international requirements for emergency preparedness and response, 3) to discuss the role of and arrangements with national competent authorities in case of a radiation emergency, and 4) to practice decision making during a simulated emergency situation (table-top exercise).