Without question, the Japanese Firefighters are faced with a horrendous incident that keeps getting worse. One of the key tactics for now is keeping the reactor cores from going critical, which means dropping water from helicopters and operating monitors on the ground.
For the firefighters on the ground, it stands to reason that the amount of radiation they are encountering will cause cancer and a pre-mature death. They know this, yet just like the Russian firefighters in Chernobyl, many will perish because of the lethal exposure to radiation.
Would you sacrifice your life for others, knowing you will die within months?
Who would be selected to do the job, knowing it has to be done?
Do you think the politicians and opportunists attacking firefighters today ever think about this part of emergency services?
It seems that should this type of incident occur, perhaps with our understanding of time, distance and shielding coupled with PEL for the specific isotopes, does it stand to reason that we would simply filter firefighters through, wearing dosimeter badges, and ensuring that they don't exceed annual limitations? Or am I being too simplistic here?
Finally, a "what would you do?" with big brass ones. THIS is where you find out who has them. And while we throw firefighters into no-win situations where they die for failing to consider risk vs. benefit, consider THIS risk assessment: someone must take a suicide mission to save many, many more people.
Risk- I can die or many can die. This is REAL risk analysis, not, the building is burning and even though the building is going to the dirt tomorrow, I go in anyway. The difference is that in the reactor issue, we have a known factor - if someone doen't take action, others will definitely die - and a relatively certain outcome - Hen I intervene, I will likely die.
Yes, I would take the task on. I would ask for volunteers. And I think the princesses wearing suits and complaining about our collecting a decent pay for doing honet and hard work (even though they haven't done a day of it themselves)have a special place in Hell reserved for them. They can go have their ****ing stress breakdown and get ome rest. The rest of us have work to do.
God bless the Japanese firefighters for setting the RIGHT example of what our job entails. All the wannabes with the "I Go Into What You Fear" shirts should take some notes. THESE guys are real heroes.
(excuse any typos. Knocking out a comment via iPad is a little frustrating. Need to go fire up the laptop).
I don't know much about radiation except that the Alpha and Beta particles are relatively harmless with the proper PPE and TDS/PEL. Is it really that simple when dealing with Gamma though?
Were I in that situation, knowing the risks as I do, and being the dumbass that I am, I would probably stay and do what needs to be done. I would rather see the husbands and fathers, wives and mothers go home and be with their family.
Sorry to argue about the volunteer(s)not taking the same oath we do here and as a combo dept we eat sleep live at the station along side our career brothers and sisters, we just don't do it every day.
Now for the main question(s) 1. I have a duty as a firefighter I will do it to the best of my ability on each call. I consider risk-vs-gains and safety first if the situation does not meet these two basic guides I re-evaluate.
2. Training come to mind first, 2nd willingness of assets 3rd Could I lead the way?? ( the last being the hardest to answer)
3. Some yes, enough "NO"
The dosimeter badge is pretty dependable when it comes time to calculating what an individuals personal exposure is. My daughter works in the field of radiological monitoring and is very serious about wearing the badge when she is on site. These numbers dictate exact numbers as far as permissible annual exposure. On an incident like the one in Japan, each individual firefighter might only be allowed a short duration to accomplish as task but at least no one gets dosed to the point of death...
1. yes
2. only person who volunteered is capable to give the max, although, among them there must be experts, or the job can't be done well
3. politicians around the world care only about their part of body used for sitting
Chernobyl and Fukushima are very similar. Fukushima is maybe even worst disaster than Chernobyl. The time will give the answer. 6 nuclear reactors out of work, and 4 of them in bad condition. First days there were no significant serious action to stop the chain of bad accidents. No one - even the Japanese experts in their worst dreams couldn't be prepared for things that happened. So the actions were on the attempt/failure basis. Japanese liquidators with little PPE trying to do impossible. The difference is that the Japanese know the effects of radiation - most of liquidators in Chernobyl didn't knew.
Offtopic (or maybe not) I recommend www.elenafilatova.com. A page made by a woman trying to spread the truth about the dimension of Chernobyl disaster. There are also her comments about Fukushima.