This past September, Georgia Tech’s EHS hosted a week-long pilot program that trains radiation safety professionals to effectively provide support to first responders during nuclear or radiological incidents. These trained experts, known as Radiological Operations Support Specialists (ROSS), received a demanding training in many areas, such as federal response to emergencies, integration within an incident command structure, available tools to help assess radiological doses or predict dispersion of radiological material, and effective communication of technical information and recommendations.

Attendees represented many different radiological occupations from around the country and included five Georgia Tech staff from the EHS Office of Radiological Safety. This program was sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and created and supported by several agencies including the Department of Homeland Security, National Nuclear Security Administration, and Federal Emergency Management Agency.