Safety: ENEA in project to improve emergency interventions in critical infrastructures

A training and operational exercises program to improve preparedness and fast response of operators of public critical infrastructures in case of a CBRN (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and explosive) event. This is the objective of the project RESIST[1], part of the activities of the Italian Cluster CBRN-P3[2] , funded by the European Commission with approximately 1.1 million euro, which includes ENEA, SAFE Foundation (as coordinator), National Fire Brigade Corps, Institute of International Affairs, Ministry of Defense, University of Tor Vergata and Romanian Cluster PROECO-CBRNE. ENEA has the double role of operator of critical infrastructures and developer of innovative technologies and methods to be used both in actual emergencies and during simulations.

In the first phase of the project, eight representatives of the ENEA emergency teams of the Research Centers of Casaccia and Frascati attended, jointly with about 90  colleagues from various Italian and European critical infrastructures, the training courses organized by the Joint Force School for NBC Defense in Rieti. In the second phase, the participants tested the abilities acquired and those strenghtened, with a series of operational exercises carried out in a real environment at selected critical infrastructures.

"This project is crucial to assess, manage and mitigate CBRN threats and risks, training the personnel of critical infrastructures, like research centers, airports, train stations and hospitals, to operate in contaminated environments, taking advantage of an Italian center of excellence like the NBC Defense Joint School in Rieti. For ENEA, in particular, the project RESIST marks a further step forward in the development of technologies that can help mitigate the effects of a CBRN emergency on the population, the environment and infrastructures ", Luigi De Dominicis, , Head of the Diagnostics and Metrology Laboratory and ENEA coordinator for the project, explained.

ENEA conducted the first operational exercises in a real environment at the Casaccia Research Center (Rome), simulating a response plan to a potential nuclear emergency,  in the port of Augusta (Syracuse) and in Orio al Serio airport (Bergamo).

“We have made all our skills, infrastructures and technological resources available to the project RESIST receiving an enthusiastic response from the participants and the panel of international experts called to evaluate our work. With the experience acquired over time through participation in European research projects, we can now proudly say that the ENEA Casaccia Research Center is a reference testbed for training and operational exercises in the radiology and nuclear sector” said Nicola Ranieri, Head of the Emergency Preparedness and Response Unit of the ENEA Casaccia Research Centre.

RESIST will continue its real environment training activities both in Italy - Termini station in Rome, Telespazio's Fucino Space Center (L'Aquila) - and in Romania at the Termoenergetica and STB offices (Bucharest), the Tuzla airport (Constance) and the Magurele nuclear center.

ENEA will present the outcomes of the project RESIST to international operators in the CBRN sector during the event to be held in April 2022.

Luigi De Dominicis, ENEA - Diagnostics and Metrology Laboratory – Division of Physics Technologies for Health and Safety - Fusion and Technologies for Nuclear Safety Department- Email:

Project Website: https://project-resist.eu/

Twitter: @resist_project - https://mobile.twitter.com/resist_project

[1]  REsilience Support for critical Infrastructures through Standardized Training on CBRN

[2]  Italian Cluster CBRN-P3 (Prepare, Prevent, Protect from CBRN threats): https://cbrnitalia.it/