Greater significance of radiological emergency preparedness

BfS President Dr Inge Paulini Source: Laurin Schmidt/bundesfoto

With the start of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, civil protection also took on new significance in Germany. In the view of the Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS), rigorous account must be taken of radiological emergency preparedness in light of this development.

During the war in Ukraine, which began on 24 February 2022, nuclear facilities such as those in Zaporizhzhia and Chornobyl (Russian: Chernobyl) have repeatedly been involved in hostilities. Even the use of nuclear weapons no longer seems out of the question in Europe. "Threats that were long considered unlikely are back on the agenda," says BfS President Inge Paulini. The BfS has intensified its own emergency planning.

Paulini says: "The reorientation of security policy is not limited to military preparedness, but also affects civil protection, i.e. the protection of the population in a defence situation. Germany can only cope with the potential challenges if the population is protected and able to protect itself."

"The new international security situation also requires preparation for long-term risk scenarios, for different, potentially overlapping crisis situations, and for hybrid threats", explains Paulini. These could include cyber attacks or disinformation campaigns.

The BfS is an authority with central security responsibilities

Collaboration at the Radiological Situation Centre

The BfS is an authority with central security responsibilities when it comes to protecting the population from radiological hazards. In a special crisis unit known as the Federal Radiological Situation Centre (RLZ), the BfS is responsible for compiling the "Radiological Situation Report". This document contains information on the current radiological situation and predictions of its future development, as well as information on radioactivity measurements.

With its section for the Response to Nuclear Security Events (NGA), the BfS also acts as a partner in the German CBRN response capabilities on the federal level (UnterstützungsverBund CBRN) in order to help deal with radiological situations that are relevant to the police. These situations could involve the discovery of radioactive sources or the use of "dirty bombs".

Since the start of the war against Ukraine, there have been repeated reports of hostilities in connection with nuclear facilities. When Russian troops attacked and occupied Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine's largest nuclear power plant, on 4 March 2022, there was considerable fear of a nuclear accident. Since then, there have been repeated incidents, including most recently a fire triggered by a drone attack at the decommissioned Chornobyl nuclear power plant.

Regular exercises to protect the entire population

BfS monitors situation in Ukraine

Over the last three years, values measured in Ukraine and neighbouring countries have not provided any evidence of a release of radioactive substances. The BfS has been monitoring the situation on the ground closely since the start of the war, with BfS employees regularly checking data from measuring equipment in Ukraine. Around 600 different pieces of equipment are available for this purpose for both local authorities and civil society.

Since the start of the war, the BfS has also been carrying out twice-daily calculations with the support of the German Meteorological Service (DWD) to determine whether air masses from Ukraine could reach Germany.

To ensure that the procedures work in an emergency, they must be practised regularly. The BfS therefore organises regular exercises with other authorities, with the federal states and with neighbouring countries. This not only provides certainty for employees but also improves the protection of the population as a whole.

So that people are better informed on how to protect themselves in the event of an emergency, the BfS proposes further developing the "Alert Day" or the Civil Protection Day. "This could also be done by unconventional means, for example in the form of a question on people’s mobile phones about what action should be taken in a real emergency or by thinking about which room would be a suitable shelter," adds Paulini.