Effective emergency response begins with preparedness, and preparedness requires regular and comprehensive training. This is why the IAEA has been hosting a three-week course, the international IAEA School of Radiation Emergency Management in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, for 19 emergency preparedness and response professionals from 13 countries in Asia and the Pacific.
The 28 August-15 September 2017 School, held for the first time in the IAEA Response and Assistance Network Capacity Building Centre, has featured lectures, practical sessions, group work and field visits, as well as knowledge sharing sessions.
The School, conducted in close cooperation with the Government of Japan, was developed by the IAEA with the help of international nuclear and radiological experts. The curriculum is based on IAEA safety standards and technical guidelines and conveys the most up-to-date knowledge so that participants can effectively implement and coordinate emergency preparedness and repsonse arrangements in their countries.
“The School is a great opportunity for us to build new skills in support of our Government's effort to effectively protect the public during an emergency,” said Mary Rose Q. Mundo, a Science Research Specialist with the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute. “Our Agency, as the regulatory body, is responsible for revision and maintenance of our national emergency preparedness and response arrangements for nuclear and radiological emergencies.”
The Capacity Building Centre is a hub for IAEA training activities in the field of emergency preparedness and response for local, national and international participants.
Fukushima Prefecture authorities contributed to the School by sharing their experience from the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in 2011. Participants also visited the Plant and surrounding areas, along with former and current emergency preparedness and response locations and facilities.
“The School helps participating countries develop their radiation emergency preparedness,” said Phillip Vilar Welter, IAEA Emergency Preparedness Officer. “So far, we have trained over 150 participants from 62 countries in 6 Schools, and more will be trained at Schools to be held later this year in Austria and the Republic of Korea.”
