MOSCOW, RUSSIA - - Officials from the Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) helped to dedicate the final stage of an enhanced emergency responder training center in Moscow, Russia. The NNSA-sponsored Emergency Management Training Center, housed at the Moscow Institute for Advanced Training, is used by the Russian Federal Atomic Energy Agency (Rosatom) to train Russia's emergency personnel on how to respond to nuclear and radiological accidents or incidents.

"Both the United States and Russia recognize the critical need to be as well-trained and prepared as possible in order to effectively respond to emergency situations - especially when nuclear and radiological material is involved," said Joseph Krol, NNSA's associate administrator for emergency operations. "We have had a very successful, long-term nuclear emergency response partnership with Russia and the improvement of this training facility is another example of our cooperation efforts."

The training center, which opened in 2004, boasts computers, communications links, projection displays, and specialized classrooms that are used to train Russian nuclear emergency responders and conduct "table-top," or classroom, nuclear emergency response drills. The final stage of completing the facility included refurbishing and equipping two additional training rooms, a conference hall and two support rooms, as well as expanding the range of nuclear training topics offered at the center. In total, the center now has four training rooms and three support rooms, as well as the conference hall to support the emergency response training.

NNSA is also assisting Rosatom in developing the training manuals and curriculum for the center, including developing computer-based simulation programs for different emergency situations, and computer software for lectures, presentations, exercises and

To date, eight different nuclear emergency response training courses have been developed and presented at the center, and about 600 individuals are receiving emergency management training each year. Future courses will include specialized training on the use of emergency response equipment.

NNSA provides the U.S. technical response to nuclear or radiological emergencies within the country and abroad. It maintains a high readiness alert level and deployable assets that respond rapidly to nuclear and radiological accidents or incidents, lost or stolen radioactive materials, and acts of nuclear terrorism. Teams of experts are located throughout the country and ready to respond in support of federal, state and local governments.

Established by Congress in 2000, NNSA is a separately organized agency within the U.S. Department of Energy responsible for enhancing national security through the military application of nuclear science. NNSA maintains and enhances the safety, security, reliability and performance of the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile without nuclear testing; works to reduce global danger from weapons of mass destruction; provides the U.S. Navy with safe and effective nuclear propulsion; and responds to nuclear and radiological emergencies in the United States and abroad.

Media contact(s):
NNSA Public Affairs (202) 586-7371