The following notes are directly from the CERT book. Any inaccuracies are the fault of the note taker.

Protecting from radioactive all-out:

There are three factors that significantly affect safety after an incident that involves radiation, such as a dirty bomb or a nuclear device. They are distance, shielding, and time. A critical protective action in a radiological or nuclear event is to get inside as quickly as possible, staying inside, and stay tuned to local radio or television stations for further guidance.

• Go deep inside (distance/shielding): is important to find adequate shelter quickly to avoid retroactive fallout resulting from the explosion. Get inside as soon as possible and go to the furthest interior room or to the basement. Flat roofs collect fallout particles so the top floor is not a good choice, nor is a floor adjacent to a neighboring flat roof. The more distance between you and the fallout particles, the better.
• If you are outside when the event occurs do not look at the flash or fireball. It can blind you. Take cover behind anything that will offer protection, lie flat and cover your head. If the explosion is some distance away, it would take 30 seconds or more for the blast wave to get to you. Go inside the soon as you can. If you’re not able to get inside, maintain as great a distance as possible from the incident and shield yourself with any available resources: Earth, concrete, brick’s, books.
• Stay inside (time): limiting the amount of time in the area of an incident is important to limit exposure to avoid retroactive fallout resulting from the explosion.
• Stay inside unless threatened by fire, building collapse or medical necessity, or other immediate threats. Remain inside until you receive notification from the authorities that it is safe to leave the building. Be prepared to shelter inside for up to 2 to 3 days.
• Stay tuned: radiation levels outside were gradually drop and authorities will tell you when it is safe to go outside, bearing in mind that the explosion will have caused significant damage to buildings and infrastructure.

Basic decontamination procedures:

The objective of decontamination is to remove harmful chemicals or particles of radioactive dirt or dust has come in contact with skin or close.

• Leave the contaminated area immediately. Depending on the circumstances, go inside, go outside, or go upwind, until or upstream from the containment. Seek a distance of at least 1000 to 1500 feet.)
• Take decontamination action. Seconds count! The goal is to limit the time that the agent is in contact with the skin.
• Remove everything from the body, including jewelry. Cut off clothing that would normally be removed over the head to reduce the probability of inhaling or ingesting the agent. Put your clothes in a plastic bag.
• Wash hands before using them to shower. If no showers are available improvise with water from faucets or bottled water.
• Flush the entire body, including the eyes, under arms, and groin area, with copious amounts of cool water. Hot water opens the pores of the skin and can promote absorption of the containment. Using copious amounts of water is important because some chemicals react to small amounts of water.
• If soap is immediately available, mix the soap with water for decontamination. Avoid scrubbing was so because scrubbing can read the chemical into the skin rather than remove it.
• Wash hair was soap or shampoo or rinse water if soap is not available. Do not use conditioner as that combines radioactive materials to your hair and make it difficult to remove. If hosting someone else, pour water from a container avoid both physical contact with the person and with the runoff.

The water used for decontamination must be contained and covered or drain outside of the shelter area to avoid shelter contamination.

• Blot dry using an absorbent cloth. Do not rub the skin. Put on clean clothes.
• As soon as possible, emergency responders will set up mass decontamination For radiological events, stations for radiation monitoring and blood tests will also be set up to determine levels of exposure and what next steps to take to protect health
• Food safety. Radioactive particles of food or water may be harmful if consumed. Food is tightly covered containers cans, bottles, plastic, and boxes will be safe to eat or drink if you dust or wipe off the containers. Be sure to worst fruit and vegetables appealed and carefully. Water is safe if it is in covered containers or the has s come from covered wells or from an Japanese and uncontaminated water systems.

Treating others:

 Remember that the first parity for CERT is personal safety.

CERT members should take self – protective measures only. They should not attempt to treat the injuries of victims in the contaminated area.

As with professional responders CERT members may have difficulty dealing with the idea they should not try to help others, even partners, who are injured that may have been contaminated.

Remember that:

1. you have a responsibility to yourself, two other CERT members, and to your families to operate safely.
2. You are neither trained nor equipped to deal with contaminated victims.
3. You cannot help someone if you become a victim. In fact, you may make matters considerably worse if you spread the contamination.

You must make the best decisions possible with the information that you have at hand. Even if an incident turns out not to be terrorist related, you have made the right decision if you have done the most good for the greatest number and not become a victim yourself.