PIMCU enhances safety of uranium transportation

The new team will be responsible for organizing and holding search and rescue, as well as other urgent actions in case of radiation accidents and emergencies in the entire Far East region. Overall, there are five such emergency technical centers in the Russian Federation. The headquarters – Emergency Technical Center of the Ministry of Atomic Energy of the Russian Federation, Federal State Unitary Enterprise – is located in St. Petersburg. Currently, its structure includes five branches situated in Moscow, Glazov, Novovoronezh, Seversk and Selyatino. Now, an emergency response team will be created on the basis of a separate paramilitary mine-rescue unit of JSC PIMCU. Its main objectives include participating in implementation of actions aimed at ensuring safe transportation of nuclear materials and radioactive substances; participating in activities aimed at accident prevention during their transportation; ensuring permanent readiness to rectify the consequences of accidents and etc.

“Currently, we are at the organizational stage. We are compiling a list of equipment and recruiting personnel,” says Igor Mudrak, head of Separate Paramilitary Mine-Rescue Unit, JSC PIMCU.

To fulfill new functions, the separate paramilitary mine-rescue unit has all necessary special-purpose equipment and vehicles, as well as advanced protective means and tools for salvage and rescue operations. Training system is operating on a permanent basis, involving skill development, theoretical and practical trainings and drill sessions for personnel. Duty dispatching service is also available. So far, drivers, a dosimetrician engineer and an economist have been employed; specialists in Physics and Technology are required.

The new emergency response team’s area of responsibility will cover the Trans-Baikal Territory and Siberia, where end products of JSC PIMCU are transported.

“After organization of an emergency response team, we will conduct command and staff exercises with the use of necessary special-purpose machinery and equipment, including a mobile dispatcher station, mobile radiation reconnaissance, salvaging modules and others. During exercises, just like in case of emergency, we must arrive on the scene first, organize interaction with municipalities, the Federal Security Service, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Emergency Situations, enclose the area, take first radiation samples and so on. Further on, a specialized emergency brigade will operate,” commented Igor Mudrak.

Incidentally, the separate paramilitary mine-rescue unit of JSC PIMCU has been recently attested once again by the Interdepartmental Attesting Commission and obtained a certificate confirming its right to conduct search and rescue operations and other urgent works at emergencies. In 1999, the team was attested for the first time and later on it passed the checking procedure every three years.