# Calif. Man Sets Off Nuclear Alert Detector



## MMiz (Mar 3, 2005)

*Calif. Man Sets Off Nuclear Alert Detector*


ESCONDIDO, Calif. (AP) - A man who recently had received radiation treatment for a medical condition set off a nuclear alert detector on a fire engine, prompting police to close down a roadway in Escondido while authorities searched for a nuclear weapon.

The Rancho Santa Fe Fire Protection District engine crew's radiation monitor sounded Tuesday when the man and his friend walked past the crew on their way to fill a gas can.

The Nuke Alert monitor sounded again as the men walked back to their vehicle.

*[Read More!*


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## Summit (Mar 3, 2005)

"Sheriff's deputies pulled over the driver and detained him and his passenger for about one hour while they confirmed that the man was not carrying a nuclear weapon"

He's radioactive... no bags... search his person for nuclear weapons *cavity search gloves snap on wrist*


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## Wingnut (Mar 3, 2005)

ROFL!  :lol:


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## EMTstudent (Mar 3, 2005)

> _Originally posted by Summit_@Mar 3 2005, 04:32 AM
> * "Sheriff's deputies pulled over the driver and detained him and his passenger for about one hour while they confirmed that the man was not carrying a nuclear weapon"
> 
> He's radioactive... no bags... search his person for nuclear weapons *cavity search gloves snap on wrist* *


 Sorry sir...

"You are sick and possibly dying.  We think that's motivation enough for you to set off a nuclear weapon to wipe out the whole west coast."


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## TTLWHKR (Mar 3, 2005)

We have one of those, and ya know-I'd never consider a medical treatment if it went off. 

But now I know how we can test it..



> *search his person for nuclear weapons *cavity search gloves snap on wrist* *




Which is why I'll never fly again...   :blink:


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## rescuecpt (Mar 3, 2005)

Made me think of Homer Simpson, or the time Mr. Burns was wandering the woods glowing and they all thought it was some creature...


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## emtal233 (Mar 3, 2005)

Doh... :lol:


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## Jon (Mar 4, 2005)

That is definetly intresting.

As for Radiation Detectors - My fire Co. still has the old Civil Defense Kit, which includes 30+ expired dosimiters and 2 geiger counters - one with a remote probe, and both still work,

I've seen some of the local Transit PD carrying the pager-sized radiation dectors (right next to their Tasers and gas meters).

Does anyone's FD / EMS orginization have anything like this? How about the local PD?

Jon


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## SafetyPro2 (Mar 4, 2005)

We don't have anything like this. Not sure about any of the other departments around here. 

Escondido's not TOO far away from the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station on the coast and is between and somewhat inland of the Camp Pendleton Marine Corps base and San Diego, which is a major Navy/USMC city. The San Diego area has several major military installations, including the North Island Naval Air Station and carrier piers, the Miramar Marine Corps Air Station (formerly Naval, aka "Top Gun"), home port to the Third Fleet,  the USMC recruit depot (where most Marine recruits west of the Mississippi go instead of Parris Island, SC), the SEAL training center, etc. 

These may be a few reasons why they have this equipment.


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## Summit (Mar 4, 2005)

> _Originally posted by MedicStudentJon_@Mar 4 2005, 11:09 AM
> * As for Radiation Detectors - My fire Co. still has the old Civil Defense Kit, which includes 30+ expired dosimiters and 2 geiger counters - one with a remote probe, and both still work,
> 
> Does anyone's FD / EMS orginization have anything like this? How about the local PD?
> ...


 Remote probe would be a CDV-717. Hopefully you have a CDV-700.

Your kit is pretty much worthless.

CDV-715s, 717s, and 720s... being ion chamber detectors (one has a beta window though) by the time most of these meters startt clicking, the SHTF. They were primarily designed for the purposes of determining permissible exposure times outside fallout shelters after a Soviet attack.

CDV-700 has use for detecting lower levels of radiation, but again only beta and gamma with a still relatively low sensitivity GM tube, plus it is prone to saturation (false low readings about certain levels).

Those static charge pen dosimeters are utterly worthless and probably would not be valid under 10CFR20 for monitoring personell.

When was the last time you had those meters calibrated?

My personal gear (read engineer whacker toys) are a CDV-700 and a Ludlum 6 Meter /w an alpha scintilaltor and gamma scintillator probes. 

The neighboring county has a hazmat team that operates CDV-700 and CDV-715, M256A1 and CM9 kits for CW detection.

Neither our ambulance service nor any of the fire services have any hazmat or detection capability. However, they are going to have NBC masks for our ambulance service... doesn't make much sense... DHS handout I guess.

-

As to pager sized systems, you can either buy pager sized dosimeters /w alert or pager sized alert sytems.  These only detect photonic (gamma/x-ray) radiation.

http://www.berkleynucleonics.com/

Has an idiot proof pager sized alert system and also slightly larger digital meters with beta-gamma GM pancake probes that looked pretty nice  (the 907).

A good multipurpose meter for use with GM tubes would be a Eberline E-120. These can be acquired used for fairly cheap ($100-$200) and a alpha-beta-gamma GM pancake can be purchased seperately. If you want something more sensitive you will probably want an Ludlum Model 6 or 12 and then purchase scintillator probes.

-

I wonder where I can take a Hazmat Awareness class without going to a fire academy.


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## TTLWHKR (Mar 4, 2005)

Coleman's Surplus in Millersburg, Pa was at a flea market having a stock sale.. I was able to get my hands on case upon case of CDV-717's, which upon inspection all but one has this important spring/wire missing between the probe and actual detector. I also had a couple Israli gas masks, and FCDA Medical Kit Model As. Unfortunately, I found eBay.. and I only have one CDV-717 left.

It's neat for halloween, or freaking the neighbors out.


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## Jon (Mar 4, 2005)

> _Originally posted by Summit_@Mar 4 2005, 03:03 PM
> *
> Remote probe would be a CDV-717. Hopefully you have a CDV-700.
> 
> ...


 Yeah-  as I sad - the dosimeters are expired, and the meters still sort of work - with the included calibration strips, anyway. They were sitting in a dry-rotted box in the rescue truck, about 2 years ago we cleaned out the battery terminals and got new batteries - the devices seem to work, but there are really only a joke - none of us have ANY intrest in actually playing with them.


Also, never knew you were an engineer. My father and Grandfather are both electrical engineers by trade.

Jon


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## Summit (Mar 4, 2005)

No degree. I studied nuclear engineering for two years before deciding it wasn't for me.   

If you don't want those meters, send em to me. I'll mess around with em  :lol:


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## SafetyPro2 (Mar 5, 2005)

I've got an old CDV-715 that I picked up when I was in college...there were a stack of them that one of the labs was getting rid of and we were told we could take whatever we wanted. Makes a nice display piece...used to have it in my office.


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## Phridae (Mar 6, 2005)

> _Originally posted by rescuecpt_@Mar 3 2005, 11:21 PM
> * Made me think of Homer Simpson, or the time Mr. Burns was wandering the woods glowing and they all thought it was some creature... *


 Yep! First thing I thought of!

As for having any sort of fancy stuff like that. I think. I'm not positive on what the Fire side has, be Rescue has nothing. (fire and rescue are seperate here)


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## CodeSurfer (Mar 6, 2005)

> _Originally posted by Summit_@Mar 4 2005, 03:03 PM
> *I wonder where I can take a Hazmat Awareness class without going to a fire academy.*


I know you can take the hazmat class at my college without being in a fire academy.  I am taking it at the end of this semester.  I think it is something like 4 eight hour days, and I am not in the fire academy yet.


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## SafetyPro2 (Mar 8, 2005)

> _Originally posted by Summit_@Mar 4 2005, 01:03 PM
> * I wonder where I can take a Hazmat Awareness class without going to a fire academy. *


 Should be able to find something. Lots of companies need it for their employees. When I worked in the oil industry, I did First Responder Awareness, First Responder Operations and HazMat Technician level training for various different groups of employees. There's several private training companies around here that offer it, as well as some community colleges.

California also has a training program through the Officer of Emergency Services called the California Specialized Training Institute. They're kinda like the Red Cross for HazMat...they offer some classes on their own and also certify instructors to train using their program. We have a retired LAFD guy who comes in and does the CSTI Operations level class for us each year. Don't know if any other states have a similar program, but could be worth checking into.


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