Domestic Nuclear Detection Office: Training

The Operations Support Directorate within the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office (DNDO) is responsible for establishing and operating a real-time situational awareness and support capability. Through the Training and Exercises Program, DNDO oversees the National Preventive Radiation/Nuclear (RN) Detection Training and Exercise policy and its execution.

Objectives

• Increase the operational detection capabilities of federal, state, and local agencies to detect and interdict rad/nuc materials and/or devices.
• Develop and exercise protocols and training standards for effective use of radiation detection equipment and the associated alarm reporting and resolution process.
• Develop training curricula in support of emerging detection technologies.

Training

The development and implementation of radiation/nuclear (RN) training courses offers federal, state, and local law enforcement and emergency responders the opportunity to enhance local preventive RN detection capabilities. Working with training partners, DNDO has effectively trained over 400 law enforcement, first responder personnel, and public officials surpassing the FY 2006 training goal by 34 percent.

Personal Radiation Detector Course.The Personal Radiation Detector (PRD) Course trains law enforcement and public safety officers to employ department-procured and issued personal radiation detectors within the bounds of jurisdiction/agency operational environment, procedures, and legal considerations through extensive hands-on training with radioactive material.

Detection Equipment for Law Enforcement Course. The Detection Equipment for Law Enforcement (DELE) Course prepares the local law enforcement team, upon the discovery of suspected illicit radioactive material, to seamlessly progress from detection through alarm resolution to search and response, in conjunction with regional and national assets.

Advanced Radiation Detection (ARD) Course. The Advanced Radiation Detection (ARD) Course focuses on the Homeland Security Prevention Mission for law enforcement officers tasked with RN detection. ARD teaches participants to detect radioactive material, assess detection instrument alarms, and determine whether radioactive material is legitimate or illicit.

Regional Reachback Specialist Course. The Regional Reachback (RRB) Specialist Course provides gamma spectroscopy training for qualified scientists participating in preventive radiological detection technical reachback programs. The course provides technical training on rapid spectroscopic data analysis, common and threat radioisotope characteristics, transportation of radioactive material, and data analysis exercises.

RRB Specialist Course - State and Local FY 2008 Development. The RRB Specialist Course for State and Local (RRB-SL) provides RRB training specifically for qualified scientists participating in state or local radiological health or health physics programs.