Radiation Emergencies:
Key Guidance Documents

Nuclear Detonation

• Nuclear Detonation Response Guidance, Planning for the First 72 Hours (1.7MB PDF)(FEMA, March 2023)(HHS/ASPR)

• A Decision Makers Guide: Medical Planning and Response for a Nuclear Detonation, 11/2017 (HHS/ASPR)

• Protecting Responders Following a Nuclear Detonation, 12/2016 (US Government Interagency)

• Nuclear/Radiological Incident Annex, 2023 (US Government Interagency)

• Improvised Nuclear Device Response and Recovery: Communicating in the Immediate Aftermath, 6/2013 (US Gov Interagency Group)

• Planning Guidance for Response to a Nuclear Detonation, 2nd Ed, 6/2010 (National Security Staff)

  • Quick Reference Guide: Radiation Risk Information for Responders Following a Nuclear Detonation (PDF - 913 KB) (US Government Inter-agency Collaboration, December 2016)
  • Health and Safety Planning Guide for Planners, Safety Officers, and Supervisors for Protecting Responders Following a Nuclear Detonation (PDF - 1.21 MB) (US Government Inter-agency Collaboration, December 2016)

• Responding to a Radiological or Nuclear Terrorism Incident: A Guide for Decision Makers (NCRP Report No. 165, 2010)

Radiological Incident

• Radiological Dispersal Device (RDD) Response Guidance, Planning for the first 100 Minutes (PDF - 2.68 MB) (DHS, NUSTL, NNSA, FEMA, November 2017)

• PAG Manual: Protective Action Guides and Planning Guidance for Radiological Incidents, 1/2017 (EPA)

• Management of Persons Internally Contaminated with Radionuclides in a Nuclear or Radiological Emergency, A Manual for Medical Personnel, 2018 (IAEA and partners)

• Management of Persons Contaminated With Radionuclides: Handbook (NCRP Report No. 161, Vol. I, 2008)

• Field Guide for Health and Safety Officers: Radiological Incidents, 6/2014 (NYC DOHMH)

• Population Monitoring and Radionuclide Decorporation Following a Radiological or Nuclear Incident (NCRP Report No. 166, 2011)

Other Key Documents

• Guidance for Emergency Response Dosimetry, (NCRP Report 179), Bethesda, MD, 2017.

• Communicating During and After a Nuclear Power Plant Incident, 6/2013 (US Gov Interagency Group)

• A Guide to Operating Public Shelters in a Radiation Emergency, 2/2015 (US Gov Interagency Group)