Disclaimer of Software Installation/Application. Execution of the RRLT installation programs, and modification to system configuration files must be made at the user's own risk. Neither the U.S. EPA nor the program author(s) can assume responsibility for program modification, content, output, interpretation, or usage. The RRLT installation programs have been extensively tested and verified. However, as for all complex software, these programs may not be completely free of errors and may not be applicable for all cases. In no event will the U.S. EPA be liable for direct, indirect, special, incidental, or consequential damages arising out of the use of the programs and/or associated documentation.
The RRLT is a computer application that organizes information on equipment and assets that may be used to recover from a wide area release of radioactivity into the urban environment. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) National Urban Security Technology Laboratory (NUSTL) funded Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) to build this Radiological Recovery Logistics Tool (RRLT, also “the Tool”), which contains a database of common and specialty equipment available through local public works departments or commercial vendors. Developed in partnership with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the RRLT provides the user several approaches to understanding what types of equipment might be available to accomplish general and specific recovery mission activities, including mitigating doses to responders and recovery teams, surveying and monitoring the affected area during the recovery phase, decontaminating surfaces, handling and treating solid and liquid waste, and identifying issues related to critical infrastructure operations.
The RRLT database includes detailed information on the equipment’s everyday function, its effectiveness on different surfaces and forms of radioactive contaminants, the scale for which the equipment may be applied, the skill required of the operator, utility requirements, legal and environmental considerations, regional and local availability, waste generated, and cost. Other factors the Tool considers include prior uses in radiological environments, safety measures, and best practice guidance to ensure its effective use. Ultimately, a component of the Tool’s software called the “equipment recommendation wizard” uses artificial intelligence (AI) to create output that lists and recommends equipment that could be used to help plan recovery operations. The Tool may be used in concert with applications previously developed by the EPA and DHS for radiological and nuclear response and recovery [e.g., the Rad Decon Tool within RadResponder (https://www.radresponder.net/app/index), the Waste Estimation Support Tool (https://www.epa.gov/emergency-response-research/waste-estimation-support-tool-west), as well as with prior international publications [e.g., the UK Recovery Handbooks for Radiation Incidents (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-recovery-handbooks-for-radiation-incidents-2015) and the Generic handbook for assisting in the management of contaminated inhabited areas in Europe following a radiological emergency (https://euneris. net/library/handbooks/58-euranos-inhabited-areas-handbook-version-2/file.html)]. The equipment recommendation wizard is an autonomous software agent—a unit of artificial intelligence software that chooses actions based on its goals and percepts. The goal of this agent is to expedite the user’s arrival at a complete equipment list addressing the scenarios and conditions at hand.
A user guide is included as part of the GitHub Release.
In collaboration with the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science & Technology Directorate (S&T) has tasked Argonne National Laboratory to build and test a tool that can be used during the response and recovery from a radiological or nuclear incident to effectively identify appropriate commercial and public works equipment to mitigate, remove, and contain contamination. This tool was developed under support from the US DHS S&T under IAA No. 70RSAT18KPM000188. Any opinions contained herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of DHS S&T. This tool is developed by Argonne's National Security Information Systems Team:
Systems Architect: Scott Parent (scottp@anl.gov) Team Leader: Douglas Johnson (djohnson@anl.gov)
Knowledge Base content is compiled, evaluated, and annotated by Argonne's Response and Recovery Team: Principal Investigator: Michael Kaminski (kaminski@anl.gov) Analyst: Katherine Hepler (khepler@anl.gov)
Disclaimer of use of trade names. Any mention of trade names, manufacturers or products does not imply an endorsement by the United States Government or the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. EPA and its employees do not endorse any commercial products, services, or enterprises.