The Nuclear Security Department, as National Nuclear Security Support Centre, has training laboratories and activities for 10-15 years. In 2020, the NSD established a special nuclear security training facility for first responders and crime scene investigators. It provides wide range of training and exercise programme both on national and international level in the field of immediate response to a nuclear security event, radiological crime scene management, nuclear forensics, detection of material outside of regulatory control and CBRN-related events.
In these training activities various equipment such as hand-held radiation detectors, mobile portal monitors or personal protective equipment, special techniques and different scenarios help the exercises using wide scale of radioactive sources and nuclear materials, radiological crime scene establishment, detection of smuggled materials at border check points, handling of surface contamination, etc. Additionally, the NSD has developed a Virtual Radioactive (Gamma and Neutron) Source Simulation System (VRSS) for use instead of real radiation sources at these training activities in order to model a scene with high dose rate and support first responders and other response forces in radiological emergencies to work in a simulated elevated radiation level environment.
Furthermore, the NSD has a special laboratory equipped with a glove box, where traditional forensic experts are trained to examine traditional forensic evidences contaminated with radionuclides.
The NSD is providing training programme to the national authorities such as the Counter Terrorism Centre, Disaster Management Directorate, Hungarian Police and Hungarian Defence Forces. Besides, other States as the USA or international organizations, like the IAEA, EC JRC, CEPOL are also using this Radiological Training Facility.
Publication about the FOSTER:
https://biztonsagtudomanyi.szemle.uni-obuda.hu/index.php/home/article/view/252
