Several international organizations operate emergency centres partially or fully devoted to responding to nuclear or radiological emergencies. The IAEA operates the Incident and Emergency Centre as the global focal point for responding to nuclear and radiological emergencies under the terms established in the Conventions on Early Notification and Mutual Assistance. The Centre provides round-the-clock assistance to Member States and coordinates the drafting and publication of the IAEA standards and recommendations on emergency matters. The Centre also organizes training activities and international nuclear emergency exercises called ConvEx aimed at verifying international cooperation in responding to nuclear emergencies. Figure 12.5 shows the Incident and Emergency Centre of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

12.7.2 Regional and local emergency centres

Regional and local authorities have their own operations centres whose mission is to implement emergency operations. These centres, which in many cases are also the centres of non-nuclear emergency management, are endowed with specific media to stay permanently and securely connected with advanced command posts that are responsible for the implementation of countermeasures, as well as with other focal points, in order to:

• Receive the information sent by the operator’s emergency centre on the possible evolution of an emergency in the affected facility, and by the emergency centre of the regulatory body, giving technical recommenda­tions necessary to implement the appropriate emergency measures to protect the population

• Send orders to every intervention team

• Transmit operational information to local media

• Inform national authorities on the evolution of an emergency in the affected area and seek their help if they need means of intervention or extraordinary resources that are not available in the territory under the operator’s control.

12.5 Sources of further information and advice

Many national and international organizations related to nuclear energy, emergency management and radiation safety research have devoted efforts to issuing information on nuclear emergency matters. This information covers a wide range of topics, orientations, objectives and kinds of docu­ments, and can be consulted on the corresponding websites. In this regard:

• The IAEA, as mentioned above, has issued a number of safety stand­ards, recommendations and technical documents oriented at providing the Member States with adequate information for planning, prepared­ness and response to nuclear emergencies.

• The European Commission has contributed to the current knowledge of nuclear emergency management from a number of research projects carried out with its Framework Research Programmes during the last three decades. Significant results of these projects have been issued by the Commission and its associate research centres.

• The Nuclear Energy Agency has a Working Party on Nuclear Emergency Matters that acts as a forum for discussing development made by Member States on this subject.

• At national level, national emergency agencies and regulatory authori­ties permanently hold information and maintain programmes addressed to nuclear and radiological emergencies. These programmes include issuance of regulations, guidance and technical documents that are easily available directly from these institutions.