CHDS REP Alum Pioneers Florida’s First Law Enforcement Radiation Safety Specialist Team

Note: This article appeared in the Watermark Fall 2024 issue with an inaccurate headline, which has been corrected for this post.

Palm Beach County, FL, Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Rafael Padilla-Rodriguez is continuing to use his Center for Homeland Defense and Security Radiological Emergency Preparedness Early Career Program learning and contacts to enhance his county’s radiological safety program.

Palm Beach County, FL, Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Rafael Padilla-Rodriguez

The CHDS alum (REP cohort 2402) serves as a Radiological, Nuclear, & Chemical Hazards Radiation Safety Specialist in the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office (PBSO) Radiation Safety Specialist (RSS) Team within his agency’s Emergency Field Force (EFF).

As a leader of the RSS Team, Padilla-Rodriguez said he takes “immense pride and responsibility in our role,” which includes emergency response dosimetry, primary screening and wide-area search missions in the event of a radiological/nuclear event. He said the team’s capabilities provide his county decision-makers with direct field support and vital information before external state or federal resources arrive.

Padilla-Rodriguez said the team has “diligently worked on enhancing our capabilities through continuous training, partnerships with seasoned professionals across Florida and beyond,” and added that CHDS REP program-evaluated exercises and locally sponsored drills are “vital means by which our team can display our capabilities.”

According to Padilla-Rodriguez, since Palm Beach County is considered both a “host and ingestion pathway jurisdiction” for the St. Lucie Nuclear Power Plant, the team’s role in emergency dose rate monitoring for the Radiological Emergency Reception Centers (RERCs) is crucial in the event of a nuclear power plant (NPP) incident.

One exercise Padilla-Rodriguez’s team participated in was a scenario-based radiological field monitoring drill (RadEx23) conducted on Oct. 29, 2023, that was designed to test capabilities in implementing a field-monitoring mission with emergency response dosimetry practices, and which he called “essential for any radiation emergency in Palm Beach County.”

He said the drill involved a “post-plume investigation of downwind residential areas, simulating the aftermath of a radiological dispersal device detonation, and demonstrated how our activities could be directly applied to response actions in the event of a nuclear power plant emergency or even a nuclear detonation.”

“The exercise not only boosted public confidence but also provided valuable insights into areas where we excelled and areas for improvement,” Padilla-Rodriguez said. “Personally, it highlighted the need for further training, particularly in the REP field.”

In addition, he noted that “the success and positive impact of our organization in safeguarding and supporting our communities significantly hinges on the effective leadership within our chain-of-command,” and added that Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw’s “visionary leadership style has been instrumental in driving the growth of our radiation program in recent years. This same level of supportive and motivational leadership extends to our Emergency Field Force Commands, Emergency Management, and District commands, which have all played pivotal roles in the success of our radiation program.”

Padilla-Rodriguez said he firmly believes that “empowering and enhancing the skills and confidence of our radiation safety specialists and law enforcement personnel is crucial to the continued success of our program,” and to that end, a commitment has been made to implementing a series of measures.

Those measures include: upgrading operator training to mitigate agency liability; introducing technology-based inventory control systems; creating departmental incentives for Primary & Secondary Screeners; strengthening General Orders; developing Standard Operating Procedures; and, exploring further opportunities through collaboration with the Naval Postgraduate School.

“By implementing these measures,” he said, “we aim to significantly improve our emergency response capabilities while fostering a culture of excellence and ongoing professional development.”

Padilla-Rodriguez credited REP faculty and CHDS staff for inspiring and helping inform his improvement efforts, specifically mentioning REP presenters Dr. Richard Emory and Dr. Kristin Zaitz for providing “great insight.”

“My experience at (CHDS) has proven to be invaluable, providing both lessons learned and lifelong relationships that continue to be a source of support and knowledge.” he said. “The CHDS program took me back to my graduate studies, which focused on critical thinking. It greatly enhanced my management, leadership, and strategic perspective, especially in dealing with a radiation emergency. The interactive collaborations with Naval Postgraduate School staff members, presenters, and cohort professionals fostered priceless networking opportunities and lifelong friendships.”

Padilla-Rodriguez expressed his gratitude to the REP faculty and CHDS staff for their inspiration and support in his improvement efforts. He specifically mentioned REP Senior Advisors Stan McKinney and Edward Buikema, Col. Bruce Foreman, as well as presenters Capt. Janis McCarroll, Dr. Adela Salame-Alfie, Emory, and Zaitz for providing valuable insight.

He also extended a special thanks to Heather Issvoran for her continued support.

INQUIRIES: Heather Hollingsworth, Communications and Recruitment | hissvora@nps.edu, 831-402-4672 (PST)

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