First Response

News Releases

Emergency Topics

• Anthrax

• Botulism

• Hemorrhagic Fever

• Nerve Agent

• Pandemic Flu

• Pneumonic Plague

• Radioactivity

• Smallpox

• Tularemia

• Medication fact sheets

• More fact sheets

Local Health Agencies and Healthcare Providers

Glossary of Terms and Acronyms

• Newsroom

• About DOH

• Programs & Services

• DOH Web (A-Z)

• Alternative File Format Information

The tools in this section will help you communicate during an event where radioactive materials are released throuigh an explosive device.

Coordinate all media contact with your assigned public information staff and follow your agency's emergency communications procedures.

News Releases. These news release templates contain areas to customize with information about:

• your location,
• details about the specific situation,
• locations of medication or treatment centers,
• updated case and fatality numbers,
• quotes from local officials or
• your contact information.

Important note: These are samples only. Do not use without updating for your specific agency. Some of these templates contain information about symptoms; check with your health officer or medical director to make sure they are accurate for the real-time situation. 

News Release: Radiation release confirmed
This news release template was designed to be used when an explosion occurs releasing radioactive materials.

News Release: Establishing the area of exposure
This news release template was designed to announce the area affected by the radiation release and decontamination information fro those in the affected area.

News Release: Opening of evacuation centers
This news release template was designed to be used to announce the opening of evacuation centers and specify  boundaries of the exposure area.

News Release: Additional medication centers
This news release template was designed to be used to announce the opening of additional evacuation centers and any adjustments to the boundaries of the exposure area.

Fact sheets and talking points.

• Fact Sheet: Attacks involving radiation
  Facts about radiation released by a dirty bomb with instructions for preventing exposure. A Word version of this fact sheet is available in Spanish. (Translations are also available in PDF format in Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Russian and Vietnamese.)

• Information about attacks involving radioactive materials
  Use this sheet to develop answers to questions you are most likely to hear about radiation exposure.

• Additional information about attacks involving radioactive materials
  This information is for you to incorporate into new releases, fact sheets and other materials you may produce during the emergency.

• Surviving exposure to radioactive materials
  This information can be used to educate the public and to incorporate into new releases, fact sheets and other materials you produce during the emergency.

Additional resources.

• Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
  HHS's guide to radiation event medical management.

DOH Home | Access Washington | Privacy Notice | Disclaimer/Copyright Information

Washington State Department of Health
101 Israel Rd SE, P.O. Box 47890
Olympia, Washington, 98504-7890

Last Update : 07/21/2008 03:31 PM
Send e-mail inquires about the Communications Toolkit and this web site.