The IAEA/RCA field trials to enhance emergency response capacity of RCA Member States with regard to possible radiation related accidents that will originally planned to hold at KAERI in Daejeon, Republic of Korea in 10-14 October 2005 was postponed to 7-11 March 2006 at the same venue. The main objective of the field trails is to enhance the capacity of RCA Member States to response to radiological emergencies in the region.

With the continuing and expanding worldwide use of radioactive material and the potential for accidental or deliberate releases of radioactive material, radiological emergency response also becomes an increasingly important activity. Ongoing drills and exercises are a recommended part of the sustainability of the national/facility emergency response. The opportunities for sponsored exercises and drills for the emergency response to emergencies involving radioactive materials are not widely available.

With a support by Australian extrabudgetary funding, this field trial will provide an opportunity to exercise with their emergency response equipment in teams with participants from other Member States. With results from the exercise, further comparison and review will help determine their own response to the emergency in their own country. This trial is also to enable Member States to obtain a commitment from each of the participating team’s organizations to sustain an effective radiological emergency response capability.

For further information, contact Mr Han Young Lee at hanyoung@kaeri.re.kr