Practising for emergencies: Radioactivity measurements from helicopters

From 20 to 22 September 2016, the Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS) and the Federal Police (BPOL) will be carrying out training exercises near to Bayreuth with the objective of measuring the radioactivity of the soil from helicopters. To do this, highly sensitive BfS measurement instruments will be inbuilt into BPOL helicopters and selected areas will be flown over systematically.

BfS and BPOL measurement exercises take place regularly so that joint measurement teams are ready for deployment at all times. If for example an accident at a nuclear power station causes the release of radioactive material, wide areas can be affected very quickly. From helicopters its is possible to ascertain quickly and on a large scale,

• which radioactive materials have been deposited on the soil,
• which areas are particularly affected and
• what radiation exposure is arising for the general public.

This knowledge forms an important basis for disaster management authorities in the federal states, helping them to make decisions about the correct protection measures for the general public.

The region around Bayreuth offers particularly good conditions for training flights as uranium and thorium are naturally present here and can be traced by the measurement teams from the air. Caesium residues, deposited in Bavaria following the reactor accident at Chernobyl, can also still be measured in the area. The mountainous terrain offers an additional challenge for the helicopter crew.

Measurement areas and procedure

Overview of the measurement areas Source: GeoBasis-DE / BKG 2016 http://www.bkg.bund.de

The measurement flights are taking place from 20 to 22 September in the northern and eastern surroundings of Bayreuth. A total of eight measurement areas are available, each of which has an area of around ten square kilometres. In the course of the exercise, it is presumed that six areas will be flown over in their entirety.

Two helicopters from the federal police will be used for the measurement flights. The measurement areas to be investigated and the precise flight routes will – as a part of the exercise – only be established on the day of the exercise. The daily flight times are between 9 am and 5 pm. Flight altitude will be at least 90 metres and flight speed will be around 100 kilometres per hour. The measurement areas can be flown over in parallel lines or in spirals from outside to inside.

Cooperation between BfS and BPOL

Since the end of the 1980s, the BfS and BPOL and/or their predecessors have been working together to measure radioactivity from the air. The BfS makes available the scientific-technical staff and the metrology, while the federal police provides the helicopters and their crews. Regular joint measurement flights with international partners also ensure readiness for deployment. Within five hours, every place in Germany can be reached by a deployable helicopter.