Developing a Working Relationship With Local Emergency Response Agencies

Surveys show that accidents are one of the public's greatest concerns relating to the transportation of radioactive material through communities (MacGregor et al. 1994). Acknowledging that accidents will happen, proving that significant releases are unlikely, and demonstrating that the local emergency response agencies are capable of responding competently, go a long way to allaying these concerns (Binney et al. 1991, Blazek et al. 1991). It has been shown that good information alone does not do the job. We believe that when a respected member of the community, such as the fire chief, stands up and says that he is aware of what is being shipped, that his staff has been trained, and that he has the equipment to cope with radioactive material transportation accidents then the public fears are eased. If a person they trust says that he is confident that it is a manageable problem then they can relax. Getting to that point is not done quickly or easily. In many instances it means \"going the extra mile,\" going far above and beyond the normal, or the required. Radioactive waste travels through Oregon on its way to or from the Hanford Site in Washington State nearly every day. The majority of these shipments travel over 200 miles of freeway in northeast Oregon along Interstates 84 and 82. The route goes through four Oregon counties and also crosses the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation. Large portions of this route are subject to extreme and unpredictable winter weather. The area is sparsely populated. Due to its remoteness, response times to some areas are still quite lengthy.