Three buses designed to act as support vehicles in a nuclear disaster were unveiled by the National Institute of Radiological Sciences on May 17.
Three buses designed to act as support vehicles in a nuclear disaster were unveiled by the National Institute of Radiological Sciences on May 17.The vehicles, each capable of monitoring radiation levels in its environment and transmitting the data back to headquarters for analysis, are designed to fulfill three different functions: an ambulance, a support bus and a testing and measurement vehicle.The crews will carry satellite phones to keep them in constant touch with the institute and other agencies and try to avoid the communication problems that plagued the response to the quake and tsunami of March 11, 2011.The support vehicle has a shower facility to allow workers to wash away radiation as well as sleeping facilities. The testing and measurement vehicle is equipped to measure radiation exposure among disaster victims. The ambulance is capable of transporting up to six individuals.Before the Great East Japan Earthquake, officials of the Chiba Prefecture-based institute planned to use off-site centers near nuclear plants and local medical institutions as their bases of operations during a nuclear accident.In practice, however, the off-site center in Okuma, Fukushima Prefecture, quickly became too cramped to handle the situation at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant, and communications sometimes failed. Radiation levels around the center were also very high. The new vehicle will give planners a mobile capacity and could allow a more flexible response.