Health physics
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The emergency responder community trains for and responds to many types of incidents on a daily basis and has done so for years. This experience with fires, emergency medical calls, chemical spills, confined spaces, and other common calls for assistance has helped responders develop an understanding of the problems and a confidence in solving them. Radiation from an accidental release in a facility or during transportation, or from a terrorist incident that causes radioactive materials to be released from their containment vessel, remains a cause of concern and fear. ⋯ All of this information and support comes to the responder community separately, and it is left to the local-level planners to piece it together. It needs to be coordinated and communicated as one source. Communications remains the top challenge for the responder community as we look to the new administration for a plan for radiological and nuclear preparedness: communicating public messaging on radiation terminology, how members of the public can protect themselves and expected public agency actions; communicating a coordinated response plan that includes all levels and agencies; communicating the necessary training; andcommunicating the recovery actions that will have to take place.