Between 9 and 12 March, various laboratories and training rooms at Loures Campus (Tecnológico e Nuclear) of Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, hosted a training course on radiological emergencies. Firefighters, sapadores, and specialised technicians attended a course organised by the Radiological Protection and Safety Laboratory (LPSR), aimed at strengthening the capacity to respond to incidents involving radioactive materials.
The programme combined theoretical and practical sessions, covering topics from the principles of radiological protection to the identification of risks associated with ionising radiation and the use of monitoring and measurement equipment. The simulated exercises allowed participants to experience, realistically, emergency response scenarios, applying safety procedures and intervention protocols.
Among those present were members of the Regimento de Sapadores Bombeiros de Lisboa and the Bombeiros Voluntários de Sacavém, as well as professionals involved in laboratory activities at Loures Campus. The training course, held in CTN’s Auditorium, was led by a multidisciplinary team of technicians and researchers from the LPSR and the Department of Nuclear Sciences and Engineering at Técnico, which included Alfredo Baptista, Augusto Oliveira, Isabel Paiva, João Alves, Maria de Lurdes Gano, Mário Reis and Octávia Monteiro Gil.
Trainees moved between different stations, exploring equipment, simulators and protocols, facing scenarios simulating real risks. “It’ s an experience that allows us to understand, in practical terms, how safety measures function on a daily basis”, commented one participant, observing colleagues performing a radiation measurement.
Alfredo Baptista, Coordinator of the Operational Radiological Protection Unit at the LPSR, emphasised that “these training sessions allow operational personnel to gain confidence and practical skills, which are essential for acting safely in risky situations”.
“The sharing of knowledge between campus-based research activities and emergency services ensures that academic training contributes to effective field intervention during emergencies”, stressed João Alves, Deputy Director of the LPSR.
Although Portugal does not have nuclear power plants, radiological risks exist at research facilities as well as at hospitals, industrial applications, and during the transport of radioactive materials, which reinforces the need for specialised training of first-responders. Over the week, topics covered included different types of radiation, risk assessment, the use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), and procedures for handling sealed and unsealed sources, consolidating essential skills for acting in a real-world context.
